crossing

noun

cross·​ing ˈkrȯ-siŋ How to pronounce crossing (audio)
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

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 on the Web Fox sent a perfect crossing pass from near the right sideline. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024 As Israeli troops aim to take control of the Gaza-Egypt border crossing, officials in Cairo warn that the move would undermine the 1979 peace treaty. Claire Parker, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 Even before the war, Israel restricted access and to and from Gaza, stringently controlling the entry of goods through land crossings. Niamh Kennedy, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 Concerns over a surge in sea crossings — one of the most perilous paths an individual can take to migrate abroad – have persisted in the Biden administration ever since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse nearly three years ago. Michael Wilner, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 Carlos Obed Yepez-Bedoya, 40, was caught by Texas Department of Public Safety agents on Feb. 21 crossing near Eagle Pass. Griff Jenkins, Fox News, 5 Mar. 2024 Rojas García remembers watching with anxiety as crowds of Haitians and migrants from various African countries gathered at a Tijuana border crossing in 2016. Whitney Eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Mar. 2024 Israel's deputy permanent representative to the U.N. Security Council said his government was committed to improving access at the Rafah border crossing and reactivating another land crossing at Kerem Shalom in Israel. Jane Arraf, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024 The latest federal safety statistics for all of 2023 released Friday are mixed with the number of derailments nationwide dipping slightly while the rate of accidents along the main tracks between crossings increased 8%. Josh Funk, Quartz, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crossing.' 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

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of crossing was in 1575

Dictionary Entries Near crossing

Cite this Entry

“Crossing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crossing. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

crossing

noun
cross·​ing ˈkrȯ-siŋ How to pronounce crossing (audio)
1
a
: the act of one that crosses
b
: a voyage across water
c
: the act or process of interbreeding or hybridizing
2
: a place where a street or stream is crossed
3
: a place where two things (as a street and a railroad track) cross

More from Merriam-Webster on crossing

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