Basic+ Word of the Day: across

across (preposition, adverb)

Planes flying across the sky

If you go across something, it means that you go from one side of that thing to the other side.

• We went on a boat across the sea.

If someone is across from you, it means that they are on the other side of something.

• My sister lives across the road from me.

If something is across, it can also mean that it is lying in a line going from one side of something to the other side.

• A tree is lying across the road.

Across can also mean ‘in all places in a region.’

• There will be strong winds across the country tonight.

Don't confuse it with

A cross is a shape made from two lines that meet in the middle. For example, the letter X is a cross shape.

In pop culture

Do you know the Indiana Jones movies? In this video from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana’s father is dying. Indiana wants to help him, but he needs to get to the other side of a canyon. The problem is that there isn’t a bridge and the canyon is too wide, so he can’t jump. How does Indiana get across?

There are other meanings of across.