1
: a crisscross pattern : network
2
: the state of being at cross-purposes
also
: a confused state
Examples of crisscross in a Sentence
Verb
Several highways crisscross the state.
shoelaces that crisscross over the top of the shoe
Tourists crisscrossed the lake from morning until night.
Scientists have been crisscrossing the country to collect data.
Noun
She pointed toward the crisscross of trees that had fallen on the path.
Recent Examples on the Web
Liza Foreman, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
Eventually, Lundstrom says, the company could have hundreds of planes crisscrossing the skies.
—Justin Worland, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Near Intelligence, for example, tracked devices visiting Little St. James from locations in 80 cities crisscrossing 26 US states and territories, with Florida, Massachusetts, Texas, Michigan, and New York topping the list.
—Dhruv Mehrotra, WIRED, 28 Mar. 2024
The bra has a triple hook-and-eye closure and even comes with adjustable straps that can be worn two ways, either as traditional shoulder straps or crisscrossing across the back.
—Jamie Allison Sanders, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2024
Dual coasters will climb to 133 feet and reach 62 mph, crisscrossing each other along 5,000 feet of track.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Feb. 2024
On a frigid Wednesday afternoon, sunbeams poured into Maurice Sendak’s studio in Ridgefield, Conn., crisscrossing one another with the precision and warmth of the children’s books that were born in this room.
—Elisabeth Egan, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2024
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has crisscrossed different provinces trying to assuage residents' fears.
—Orlando Matos, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2024
Miller helped develop a Cornell Lab of Ornithology app that recognizes birdsong and now crisscrosses the Americas setting up recorders and analyzing audio data to create new measures of bird diversity.
—Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
His pants were a slender fit while his blazer had a crisscross detail, leaving his waist exposed.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 15 Jan. 2024
Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Using a sharp knife, make a crisscross slash across the top of each bun.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2024
At the event, the actress stepped out in a sleeveless bronze sequin Michael Kors gown with a front center cutout and a crisscross neckline that bared her toned midriff.
—Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 16 Jan. 2024
Pugh shined in a glitzy blush pink Rodarte dress with a crisscross neckline and soft peplum.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2024
Brunson’s gown, a simple sparkly silver dress with mesh panels on the sides and a crisscross neckline, complemented Ralph’s more dramatic black dress with a lime green accent on her puff sleeves down to a train, styled by Jessica Paster.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 7 Jan. 2024
The actor’s white bra was fully visible under the crisscross blouse, which featured a plunging cowl at the back and gathered at the hip.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 19 Dec. 2023
The monokini has a crisscross design across the front, leaving a small cutout along the midriff to add a little sexiness.
—Lindsey Greenfeld, Peoplemag, 5 July 2023
Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2024
Unlike the crisscross, the cup cannot be made to lie flat.
—Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024
Using a pastry brush, lightly brush water in a crisscross on each bread dough.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2023
Amberjack’s Peters said his company recently changed its lacing style to crisscross.
—John Kelly, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2023
An undercurrent of darkness and portentous mystery courses throughout — evoked by low-stirring reeds, a crisscross of percussionists and drummers, or the band members’ baritones uniting in a chanted chorus.
—Giovanni Russonello, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2020
For a dose of tailoring for the office, pick up Frankie Shop’s minimalist blazer and style it with a comfortable pair of Agolde’s crisscross jeans.
—Julie Tong, Vogue, 13 July 2022
Plus, the spaghetti straps offer a crisscross back design that complements the tiered silhouette.
—Karla Pope, Woman's Day, 24 May 2022
Her signature crisscross waistbands are created through a three-step process, and Popova enlists her mother’s help to finish the jeans by removing their stitching.
—Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 11 May 2022
Verb
The Americas filmmaking team went to extraordinary measures crisscrossing the continent to capture its wildlife on screen.
—Liza Foreman, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
Eventually, Lundstrom says, the company could have hundreds of planes crisscrossing the skies.
—Justin Worland, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Near Intelligence, for example, tracked devices visiting Little St. James from locations in 80 cities crisscrossing 26 US states and territories, with Florida, Massachusetts, Texas, Michigan, and New York topping the list.
—Dhruv Mehrotra, WIRED, 28 Mar. 2024
The bra has a triple hook-and-eye closure and even comes with adjustable straps that can be worn two ways, either as traditional shoulder straps or crisscrossing across the back.
—Jamie Allison Sanders, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2024
Dual coasters will climb to 133 feet and reach 62 mph, crisscrossing each other along 5,000 feet of track.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Feb. 2024
On a frigid Wednesday afternoon, sunbeams poured into Maurice Sendak’s studio in Ridgefield, Conn., crisscrossing one another with the precision and warmth of the children’s books that were born in this room.
—Elisabeth Egan, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2024
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has crisscrossed different provinces trying to assuage residents' fears.
—Orlando Matos, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2024
Miller helped develop a Cornell Lab of Ornithology app that recognizes birdsong and now crisscrosses the Americas setting up recorders and analyzing audio data to create new measures of bird diversity.
—Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Zendaya continued her white-hot style streak at the Challengers Paris premiere with a custom Louis Vuitton gown designed with a sweetheart bodice displaying her clavicle in the most elegant way and a floor-sweeping pleated skirt cinched with a crisscross belt.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
His pants were a slender fit while his blazer had a crisscross detail, leaving his waist exposed.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 15 Jan. 2024
Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Using a sharp knife, make a crisscross slash across the top of each bun.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2024
At the event, the actress stepped out in a sleeveless bronze sequin Michael Kors gown with a front center cutout and a crisscross neckline that bared her toned midriff.
—Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 16 Jan. 2024
Pugh shined in a glitzy blush pink Rodarte dress with a crisscross neckline and soft peplum.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2024
Brunson’s gown, a simple sparkly silver dress with mesh panels on the sides and a crisscross neckline, complemented Ralph’s more dramatic black dress with a lime green accent on her puff sleeves down to a train, styled by Jessica Paster.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 7 Jan. 2024
The actor’s white bra was fully visible under the crisscross blouse, which featured a plunging cowl at the back and gathered at the hip.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 19 Dec. 2023
The monokini has a crisscross design across the front, leaving a small cutout along the midriff to add a little sexiness.
—Lindsey Greenfeld, Peoplemag, 5 July 2023
Noun
Each hot cross bun is scored with a crisscross or decorated with a cross made of icing.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2024
Unlike the crisscross, the cup cannot be made to lie flat.
—Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024
Using a pastry brush, lightly brush water in a crisscross on each bread dough.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2023
Amberjack’s Peters said his company recently changed its lacing style to crisscross.
—John Kelly, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2023
An undercurrent of darkness and portentous mystery courses throughout — evoked by low-stirring reeds, a crisscross of percussionists and drummers, or the band members’ baritones uniting in a chanted chorus.
—Giovanni Russonello, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2020
For a dose of tailoring for the office, pick up Frankie Shop’s minimalist blazer and style it with a comfortable pair of Agolde’s crisscross jeans.
—Julie Tong, Vogue, 13 July 2022
Plus, the spaghetti straps offer a crisscross back design that complements the tiered silhouette.
—Karla Pope, Woman's Day, 24 May 2022
Her signature crisscross waistbands are created through a three-step process, and Popova enlists her mother’s help to finish the jeans by removing their stitching.
—Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 11 May 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crisscross.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near crisscross
Cite this Entry
“Crisscross.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crisscross. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
crisscross
1 of 2 verb
criss·cross
ˈkris-ˌkrȯs 
1
: to mark with lines that cross each other
2
: to go or cross back and forth
crisscross
2 of 2 noun
: a pattern formed by crossed lines
crisscross
adjective or adverb
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