Word.ws English Dictionary

crossed swords

crossed swords is the simple past and past participle of cross swords.

Meaning of cross swords

Verb

cross swords (third-person singular simple present crosses swords, present participle crossing swords, simple past and past participle crossed swords)

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cross, sword., to place or hold two swords so they cross each other.
  2. To fight with someone; to duel.
    • I do not relish crossing swords with Pike's hook.1966 September 24, Brian Hayles, “The Smugglers, episode 3” (15:39 from the start), in Doctor Who, season 4, episode 3, spoken by The Squire (Paul Whitsun-Jones), via BBC
  3. (idiomatic) To quarrel or argue with someone; to have a dispute with someone.
    • You say that you do not see how you and I have crossed swords with the priests.1902, Richard Bagot, Donna Diana, published 2008, →ISBN, page 240
    Synonyms:
    lock horns
  4. (idiomatic, vulgar) For males, to urinate simultaneously such that the streams intersect.

Questions about crossed swords

What is crossed swords the simple past and past participle of?
Crossed swords is the simple past and past participle of cross swords.

Words near crossed swords in the dictionary

  1. crossed paths
  2. crossed someone's mind
  3. crossed someone's palm
  4. crossed someone's path
  5. crossed someone's T
  6. crossed swords
  7. crossed that bridge when one came to it
  8. crossed the aisle
  9. crossed the floor
  10. crossed the line
  11. crossed the river

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: crossed swords (page history and authors); cross swords (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.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “crossed swords.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/crossed_swords. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.