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Definition of cross fire
1a : firing (as in combat) from two or more points so that the lines of fire cross
b : a situation wherein the forces of opposing factions meet, cross, or clash
caught in a political cross fire
2 : rapid or heated exchange of words
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Synonyms for cross fire
Synonyms
- altercation,
- argle-bargle
- [chiefly British],
- argument,
- argy-bargy
- [chiefly British],
- battle royal,
- bicker,
- brawl,
- contretemps,
- controversy,
- disagreement,
- dispute,
- donnybrook,
- falling-out,
- fight,
- hassle,
- imbroglio,
- kickup,
- misunderstanding,
- quarrel,
- rhubarb,
- row,
- scrap,
- set-to,
- spat,
- squabble,
- tiff,
- wrangle
Examples of cross fire in a Sentence
viewers tune in to witness the weekly cross fire between the liberal and conservative commentators
Recent Examples on the Web Caught in the cross fire of these combative tackles was Lo Celso, who picked up a groin injury following a stamp from Chile's Charles Aranguiz.
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SI.com, "How Tottenham Hotspur Players Got on During the September International Break," 11 Sep. 2019 As the federal government prepares to roll out $16 billion to help farmers caught in the cross fire of Trump’s trade wars, Democratic congressmen want fishermen included in the deal.
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Anchorage Daily News, "Trump’s trade war with China takes a big bite out of Alaska and US seafood sales," 6 Aug. 2019 The youngsters caught in a political cross fire have been robbed of their childhood — robbed of the music of family.
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Vanessa Hua, SFChronicle.com, "A call for music, a call to action," 27 June 2019 Meanwhile the 10 to 15 million Americans who rely on opioids to control their chronic pain – and who are not contributing to the drug epidemic – were caught in the cross fire, Kroenke said.
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Shari Rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "Did the crackdown on opioid prescriptions go too far? Here's why doctors are reconsidering," 10 June 2019 Meanwhile, American workers, and even farmers, some have been caught in the cross fire of Trump's tough trade battle with China.
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Fox News, "TSA program tracks unsuspecting passengers," 31 July 2018 In 1993, Chery’s 15-year-old son was killed in the cross fire of a gang shootout on his way to attend a Teens Against Gang Violence meeting.
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Jerome Campbell, BostonGlobe.com, "Mothers walk for peace through the city’s streets," 14 May 2018 As the federal government prepares to roll out $16 billion to help farmers caught in the cross fire of Trump’s trade wars, Democratic congressmen want fishermen included in the deal.
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Anchorage Daily News, "Trump’s trade war with China takes a big bite out of Alaska and US seafood sales," 6 Aug. 2019 The youngsters caught in a political cross fire have been robbed of their childhood — robbed of the music of family.
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Vanessa Hua, SFChronicle.com, "A call for music, a call to action," 27 June 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cross fire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for cross fire
The first known use of cross fire was in 1799
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