cross section

Definition of cross sectionnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cross section Instead, the Defense Ministry is seeking to make the military more attractive to a broad cross section of society. ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026 Just as Season 1 was a sociological cross section of Asian-American Los Angeles and its many subcultures, Season 2 gets specific with another corner of Southern California. Alison Herman, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026 Missouri and 40 others states have expanded Medicaid coverage to include a broader cross section of low-income adults under a provision of the Affordable Care Act. Suzanne King, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026 The narrative features, however, such as 2010’s My Joy or 2017’s A Gentle Creature, were rich, rambling, surreal, maximalist, following characters on absurd quests through cross sections of bureaucracy and society. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cross section
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cross section
Noun
  • Here’s a sampling of summer and fall sailings that, at last check, still have space for the months ahead.
    Jane Wooldridge, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026
  • The boat comes with modern amenities like special laboratory refrigerators to store water samples and computer desks to allow continuous measurements of water quality while conducting water quality sampling.
    Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 29 June 2026
Noun
  • Some irregular food items such as chicken and pig were also detected in the samples, suggesting that wolves are also scavenging from human waste disposal sites.
    Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • By then, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was already in place mandating the return of remains, but museums contested the regulation on whether hair samples also needed to be repatriated.
    News Desk, Artforum, 8 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cross section.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cross%20section. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on cross section

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster