cross-purpose

noun

cross-pur·​pose ˈkrȯs-ˈpər-pəs How to pronounce cross-purpose (audio)
: a purpose usually unintentionally contrary to another purpose of oneself or of someone or something else
usually used in plural
the two were always working at cross-purposes

Examples of cross-purpose in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Hitler’s Germany and Prime Minister Benito Mussolini’s Italy worked at cross-purposes in crises over Austria in 1934 and Ethiopia in 1935. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 26 Jan. 2024 She's got her own motivations and delusions of grandeur, and the Forsaken often work at cross-purposes. Andrew Cunningham & Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 22 Sep. 2023 Perhaps fittingly, then, the plan’s execution seems to be under a spell too, with everyone lost in an entanglement of sloppiness, cross-purposes and bad luck. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 19 Aug. 2023 Though the flows are manicured and melodic, the bars stumble over the album’s cross-purposes. Vulture, 2 Aug. 2023 Their loose confederation has its cross-purposes and is united mainly by hostility toward the United States. Philip Zelikow, Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2022 Over the last year, the Fed’s duties as an inflation fighter and a bank regulator have been at cross-purposes. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2023 Added difficulty stems from the fact that typical solutions for them can work at cross-purposes. Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Mar. 2023 In my experience, nothing can hold a team back more than using different spreadsheets for cross-purposes. Rahul Shah, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cross-purpose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1668, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cross-purpose was in 1668

Dictionary Entries Near cross-purpose

Cite this Entry

“Cross-purpose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cross-purpose. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cross-purpose

noun
cross-pur·​pose
ˈkrȯ-ˈspər-pəs
: a purpose unintentionally contrary to someone else's purpose
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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