cross-examination

noun

cross-ex·​am·​i·​na·​tion ˈkrȯs-ig-ˌza-mə-ˈnā-shən 

: the examination of a witness who has already testified in order to check or discredit the witness's testimony, knowledge, or credibility compare direct examination

cross-examine

ˈkrȯs-ig-ˈza-mən 

verb

cross-examiner

ˈkrȯs-ig-ˈzam-nər 

-ˈza-mə-

noun

Examples of cross-examination in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cassie Takes the Stand for a Third Day to Face Cross-Examination 9 hr 57 min ago Ventura is back on the witness stand for a third consecutive day, and is facing cross-examination by Combs' attorneys. —Danielle Bacher, People.com, 15 May 2025

During cross-examination, Brand made much of the mayhem of the scene as responding officers arrived. —Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025

Ventura is expected to face a tense cross-examination first thing Thursday with Combs’ defense team. —Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 14 May 2025

These beliefs are reflected in E. M. Forster’s novels and among members of the Bloomsbury Group, for whom moral sensitivity was acquired by the same methods as aesthetic sensibility: attunement and rigorous cross-examination. —Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 14 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1707, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cross-examination

• acclimatisation
• acclimatization
• acidification
• actualization
• annualization
• autocorrelation
• autoregulation
• beatification
• beneficiation
• biodegradation
• biotransformation
• bureaucratization

Legal Definition

cross-examination

noun

: the examination of a witness who has already testified in order to check or discredit the witness's testimony, knowledge, or credibility see also confrontation clause compare direct examination, recross-examination, redirect examination

Note: In accordance with Rule 611 of the Federal Rules of Evidence, cross-examination should only refer to matters that were covered during direct examination or that are relevant to the witness's credibility. Anything exceeding these limits is permissible at the court's discretion. Leading questions are also ordinarily allowed on cross-examination under Rule 611.

cross-examine verb

cross-examiner noun