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Across: Meaning, Examples, and Usage Guide (2 meaning)

Meaning 1:from one side to the other (across)

across 🔊
/əˈkrɔːs/
prep./adv.
from one side to the other of something
Person walking across a street at zebra crossing, side view
from one side to the other 🔊
/frəm wʌn saɪd tə ði ˈʌðər/
prep./adv.
Indicates movement from one side or end of a surface, area, or line to the opposite side.
📁 Category:Transportation & Travel 🔖 Level:Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation
From Old English 'on cross' meaning 'at the cross', later evolving to indicate movement from one side to the other.
💡 Mnemonic
Imagine a cross (X) on a map: walking across means going from one end of the X to the other.
📖 Example
Be careful when walking across the busy street; always use the zebra crossing. 🔊 Be careful when walking across the busy street; always use the zebra crossing.
🔗 Collocations
walk across the street – to traverse the street on foot
travel across the country – to go from one side of the country to the other
look across the room – to direct one's gaze from one side of the room to the other
🔄 Synonyms
through (prep.) – indicating movement from one side to the other by passing inside
over (prep.) – indicating movement from one side to the other above the surface
cross (v.) – to go from one side to the other
🚫 Antonyms
along (prep.) – moving in a line parallel to something
around (prep.) – moving in a circle or avoiding
📖 Cultural Story
Derived from Latin 'crux' (cross). In medieval maps, crossing a line symbolized moving from one territory to another, leading to the modern sense of spatial traversal.

Meaning 2:throughout, all over (across)

across 🔊
/əˈkrɔːs/
prep./adv.
in every part of a place or group
World map with red pins scattered across continents, top view
throughout, all over 🔊
/θruːˈaʊt, ɔːl ˈoʊvər/
prep./adv.
Used to indicate that something exists or happens in all parts of a particular area or group.
📁 Category:Social Economy 🔖 Level:Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example
This coffee shop chain has branches across the country, so you can find one in almost every major city. 🔊 This coffee shop chain has branches across the country, so you can find one in almost every major city.
🔗 Collocations
across the world – in all parts of the world
across all departments – in every department
across the board – applying to everyone or everything
🔄 Synonyms
throughout (prep.) – in every part of
all over (prep.) – in every part of
everywhere (adv.) – in all places
🚫 Antonyms
nowhere (adv.) – not in any place
locally (adv.) – in a limited area
🌱 Derivatives
cross-country (adj.) – across a country
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