cross-ref·er·ence
ˈkrȯs-ˈre-fərn(t)s 
-ˈre-f(ə-)rən(t)s
: a notation or direction at one place (as in a book or filing system) to pertinent information at another place
cross-referenced; cross-referencing; cross-references
1
: to supply with cross-references
cross-reference a book
2
: to research, verify, or organize by means of cross-references
cross-reference information
Examples of cross-reference in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
This will allow users to search and cross-reference the texts from anywhere in the world.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 12 Aug. 2025
Attackers often cross-reference usernames and reused passwords across the internet, even if your login wasn’t part of the leak.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Even more transformative is the ability to cross-reference emotional insights with real-time performance data, including promotional offers and incentives.
—Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
After that, cross-reference your findings with a quick online search for outfitters in the area.
—Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 23 July 2025
The company also clarified that no other employees were seen in the viral clip after social media sleuths used LinkedIn to cross-reference and identify another woman seen in the frame.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2025
Rochelle Blease, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Getty Images Once a subject's iris data is scanned, the technology cross-references more than 265 unique iris characteristics against central registries, such as the Sex Offender Registry, Child Project and Senior Safety Net, 404 Media reported.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
Exploring Pynchon’s novels, and cross-referencing his complex jokes, exercises empathetic cartography.
—Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Even when anonymized, agencies can cross-reference data sets to reveal information about specific individuals.
—Olivia Gazis, CBS News, 16 June 2023
The agenda book was more useful, offering a way to cross-reference many of the meetings Villarejo claimed to have had.
—Nicholas Casey, New York Times, 10 June 2023
The idea is that future AI systems will be able to cross-reference this data in the same way that current AI systems do for text inputs.
—James Vincent, The Verge, 9 May 2023
At its lab in The Hague, the commission’s technicians can extract DNA from tiny samples of bone and cross-reference them with samples provided by families of the missing.
—Mike Corder, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Apr. 2023
The DAs could then cross-reference the list with their criminal cases and identify any wrongful convictions.
—oregonlive, 4 Mar. 2023
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Noun
Below is a map of the affected states: The FDA alert has a chart with corresponding item numbers, product descriptions, as well as UPC and lot numbers for customers to cross-reference.
—Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
This will allow users to search and cross-reference the texts from anywhere in the world.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 12 Aug. 2025
Attackers often cross-reference usernames and reused passwords across the internet, even if your login wasn’t part of the leak.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Even more transformative is the ability to cross-reference emotional insights with real-time performance data, including promotional offers and incentives.
—Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
After that, cross-reference your findings with a quick online search for outfitters in the area.
—Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 23 July 2025
The company also clarified that no other employees were seen in the viral clip after social media sleuths used LinkedIn to cross-reference and identify another woman seen in the frame.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2025
Verb
By ingesting and cross-referencing this data against their own merchant portfolio, payment providers can quickly flag when a merchant is under regulatory scrutiny.
—Rochelle Blease, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Getty Images Once a subject's iris data is scanned, the technology cross-references more than 265 unique iris characteristics against central registries, such as the Sex Offender Registry, Child Project and Senior Safety Net, 404 Media reported.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
Exploring Pynchon’s novels, and cross-referencing his complex jokes, exercises empathetic cartography.
—Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Even when anonymized, agencies can cross-reference data sets to reveal information about specific individuals.
—Olivia Gazis, CBS News, 16 June 2023
The agenda book was more useful, offering a way to cross-reference many of the meetings Villarejo claimed to have had.
—Nicholas Casey, New York Times, 10 June 2023
The idea is that future AI systems will be able to cross-reference this data in the same way that current AI systems do for text inputs.
—James Vincent, The Verge, 9 May 2023
At its lab in The Hague, the commission’s technicians can extract DNA from tiny samples of bone and cross-reference them with samples provided by families of the missing.
—Mike Corder, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Apr. 2023
The DAs could then cross-reference the list with their criminal cases and identify any wrongful convictions.
—oregonlive, 4 Mar. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Cross-reference.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cross-reference. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.
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