crossing

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noun cross·ing \ ˈkrȯ-siŋ \

Definition of crossing

1 :the act or action of crossing: such as

a :a traversing or traveling across

b :an opposing, blocking, or thwarting especially in an unfair or dishonest manner

2 a :a place or structure (as on a street or over a river) where pedestrians or vehicles cross; especially :crosswalk

b :the place in a cruciform church where the transept crosses the nave

c :a place where a railroad track crosses a street

See crossing defined for English-language learners

See crossing defined for kids

Examples of crossing in a Sentence

Stop at the railroad crossing.
a crossing for ferry boats
the crossing of a mountain range
a weeklong crossing of the Atlantic Ocean

Recent Examples of crossing from the Web

The crossing sits along a 900-kilometer (560-mile) trade route linking Jordan’s capital, Amman, and Iraq’s capital, Baghdad.

— karin laub, The Seattle Times, "Jordan, Iraq reopen border crossing, vital to trade," 30 Aug. 2017
The layer of algae and floating water primrose in the foreground is tracked with the thin, criss-crossing trails of alligators.

— ben raines | braines@al.com, AL.com, "Stranded in the Delta with nothing but time and a camera," 30 Aug. 2017
Riley said there were no gates or warning bells at the crossing.

— steve sadin, chicagotribune.com, "Metra closes pedestrian crossing near Deerfield H.S.," 28 Aug. 2017
According to the report, Engels was traveling north County Road J-14 and approaching a blind intersection with the New York Central tracks when the train reached the crossing a few seconds before his auto. —

— kitty conley, Post-Tribune, "Crown Point Star Newspaper Almanac," 28 Aug. 2017
Thousands of people have crossed over in to Canada from an irregular crossing near the Champlain-Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle border in hopes of finding residency in Canada.

— jacqueline charles, miamiherald, "Who is encouraging Haitians to cross the border? Canada wants to know.," 27 Aug. 2017
The eclipse passed through Zimbabwe’s border with Mozambique, exactly at the legal crossing point near the town of Nyamapanda.

— graeme wood, The Atlantic, "The Foreign Places an Eclipse Can Take You," 21 Aug. 2017
Abreu befriends the museum guard, whose backyard is a popular crossing point for monkeys.

— sam kean, Science | AAAS, "When will yellow fever strike Brazil again? Monkeys and mosquitoes hold clues," 17 Aug. 2017
The Pentagon’s division that runs the military commissions will pay the Navy base $300 for each crossing, according to an official with knowledge of the deal.

— carol rosenberg, miamiherald, "A $300 boat ride may resolve dispute, restart Guantánamo hearings," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crossing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of crossing

1575

crossing Synonyms

Synonyms

sail, cruise, passage, voyage

Related Words

cloverleaf, interchange, overpass, underpass; circle, rotary, roundabout [British], traffic circle

CROSSING Defined for English Language Learners

crossing

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noun

Definition of crossing for English Language Learners

: a place where two things (such as a street and a railroad track) cross each other
: a place where you can cross a street, stream, etc.
: the act of going across something

CROSSING Defined for Kids

crossing

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noun cross·ing \ ˈkrȯ-siŋ \

Definition of crossing for Students

1 :a point where a line, track, or street intersects another line, track, or street

2 :a place provided for going across a street, railroad tracks, or a stream

3 :a voyage across a body of water

Learn More about crossing

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for crossing Spanish Central: Translation of crossing Nglish: Translation of crossing for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of crossing for Arabic speakers

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crossing

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