Word.ws English Dictionary

cross examination

cross examination is the alternative form of cross-examination.

Meaning of cross-examination

Noun

cross-examination (countable and uncountable, plural cross-examinations)

  1. The interrogation or questioning of a witness by the party against whom they have been called and examined, in an attempt to prove or reveal something false or untold during direct examination.
    • It is impossible to bring them here for cross-examination; one simply has to conduct one's defence and argue one's case against an invisible opponent, […]1954, Plato, translated by Hugh Tredennick, “Socrates on Trial: The Apology”, in The Last Days of Socrates (Penguin Classics), Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, →OCLC, pages 20–21
  2. (broadly) Any intense period of questioning, especially if hostile.

Forms of cross examination

pluralcross examinations

Questions about cross examination

What is cross examination the alternative form of?
Cross examination is the alternative form of cross-examination.

Words near cross examination in the dictionary

  1. Cross Creek
  2. cross crosslet
  3. cross dowel
  4. cross dowels
  5. cross elasticity of demand
  6. cross examination
  7. cross examinations
  8. cross examine
  9. cross examined
  10. cross examines
  11. cross examining

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: cross examination (page history and authors); cross-examination (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “cross examination.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/cross_examination. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.