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
Janet Vertesi, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2023
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 pages of a spam cluster all cross-reference one another, creating the illusion that a lot of people are linking to a site.
—Ariel Bleicher, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Feb. 2011
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
Script-writing teams may appreciate an artificial agent that can look up dialog or cross-reference on the fly.
—Janet Vertesi, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2023
Verb
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 pages of a spam cluster all cross-reference one another, creating the illusion that a lot of people are linking to a site.
—Ariel Bleicher, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Feb. 2011
The DAs could then cross-reference the list with their criminal cases and identify any wrongful convictions.
—oregonlive, 4 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cross-reference.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near cross-reference
Cite this Entry
“Cross-reference.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cross-reference. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
cross-reference
noun
cross-ref·er·ence
ˈkrȯs-ˈref-ərn(t)s,
-ˈref-(ə-)rən(t)s
: a reference made from one place to another (as in a dictionary)
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