How to Use cross-purpose in a Sentence

cross-purpose

noun

• The two have been at cross-purposes for years, ignoring their hearts for a litany of reasons.
  — EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
• The members of their tribe were running around the beach at cross-purposes, trying to set up camp—to set up a society.
  — Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026
• Two tentacles of the same creature, working at cross-purposes.
  — Adam Verner september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
• Bessent’s intervention appears to be at cross-purposes with that goal, since markets are now considering what next steps Treasury might take to contain rates.
  — Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
• The Georgia raid is yet another example of this administration working at cross-purposes.
  — Patricia Lopez, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
• While Washington and Jerusalem work at cross-purposes, Tehran’s strategy for survival is becoming clearer.
  — Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
• This means two-thirds of your implementation capacity is either idle or working at cross-purposes during critical strategic transitions.
  — Aurelien Mangano, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
• Fragmented mental models mean teams interpret current reality differently and then act at cross-purposes.
  — Thomas Lim, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
• Conflicting Agent Behavior Agents with competing objectives can work at cross-purposes.
  — Mohit Bhat, Forbes.com, 19 Feb. 2026
• Occasionally, particularly in the early going, the blocking and Christopher Moscatiello’s sound design seemed to be working at cross-purposes.
  — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
• This economic model is often at cross-purposes with environmental stewardship because the commodity has more value than the environmental resources.
  — Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 29 July 2026
• The demise of the West as a reliable geopolitical unit will increasingly see the United States and its former partners acting at cross-purposes and finding themselves on the opposite sides of debates.
  — Stewart Patrick, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
• Teams run at cross-purposes because priorities are unclearly or inconsistently communicated.
  — Debon Lewis, Forbes.com, 12 Mar. 2026