as in sampling
a number of things selected from a group to stand for the whole
a television ratings service that monitors the viewing of a representative cross section of the general population
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Recent Examples of cross section
Highlighting the day’s festivities will be the Hip-Hop Humanitarian Awards Gala with guests representing a cross section of global leaders, athletes, artists and human rights advocates.
—
Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 18 Mar. 2026
However, the scenario has prompted a cross section of the typically fractious party to unite behind the belief the field must shrink, whether by candidates’ choice or through pressure.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
In other words, the cross section may have been too skinny for a heavy medal.
—Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 21 Feb. 2026
As our automotive editor Viju Mathew and longtime contributor Robert Ross note, the 2026 class brought together a sweeping cross section of categories and power trains—the kind of variety that has become a defining feature of Car of the Year.
—John Vorwald, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cross section
Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 18 Mar. 2026
However, the scenario has prompted a cross section of the typically fractious party to unite behind the belief the field must shrink, whether by candidates’ choice or through pressure.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
In other words, the cross section may have been too skinny for a heavy medal.
—Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 21 Feb. 2026
As our automotive editor Viju Mathew and longtime contributor Robert Ross note, the 2026 class brought together a sweeping cross section of categories and power trains—the kind of variety that has become a defining feature of Car of the Year.
—John Vorwald, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cross section
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cross section
Noun
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Start off with a coffee and sampling of bread and butter for the table.—
Nathanael Gassett,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Apr. 2026
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Here is a sampling of things to do in the San Fernando Valley and the greater Los Angeles area.—
Holly Andres,
Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Flying is the company’s second Nova-C lander named Athena featuring NASA’s PRIME-1 drill, to land a drill and mass spectrometer near the south pole of the moon in order to demonstrate the feasibility of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
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For this study, researchers examined the newborn blood samples of babies born from 2000 to 2015 in Los Angeles County.—
Rachel Fobar,
Oc Register,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cross section.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cross%20section. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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