Cross means: A wooden post with a perpendicular beam attached and used to execute criminals (by crucifixion).. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
cross
A wooden post with a perpendicular beam attached and used (especially in the Roman Empire) to execute criminals (by crucifixion).
Seen in the wild
14 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
This is all at Charing Cross Hospital, which naturally you find in Hammersmith. 😄
View source
BlueskyMay 2026
⛽ DEVON! Your cheapest unleaded petrol (E10) today is 149.9p/L at Exbourne Cross Garage, EX20 3SA — and 5 others at the same price! #UKFuel #Pumpr #Devon
View source
BlueskyMay 2026
Walked by an open fiber cross connect cabinet with no van in sight. Closed it to save the neighbour from messers.
View source
BlueskyMay 2026
It does indeed seem as if the smears are failing to achieve the intended results. And them obsessing over silly things like his use of the term 'spokesman' when helping the Red Cross raise funds shows the sniff of des…
View source
BlueskyMay 2026
That said, I don't have much of a "community" so I can cross that bridge when I get there.
View source
Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK
A wooden post with a perpendicular beam attached and used (especially in the Roman Empire) to execute criminals (by crucifixion).
Put a cross for a wrong answer and a tick for a right one.
For parents
Cross means: A wooden post with a perpendicular beam attached and used to execute criminals (by crucifixion).. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
cross means: A wooden post with a perpendicular beam attached and used to execute criminals (by crucifixion).. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Heard in the wild
“Your Google Search Console and Analytics data hold SEO wins you haven't claimed yet. Cross-reference them to find quick wins. Read more → https://brass-seo.com/blog/seo-opportunities”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Renate Comics Berlin & Cross Comix Rotterdam team up again! 10 artists from NL & Berlin create a zine during a 4-day exchange in May. First duo: Anh Ngo & Angelie. The zine premieres at Cross Comix, Sept 11–12, 2026, De Doelen Rotterdam.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Cross-assay RNA modeling reveals cancer biomarkers #SingleCell 🧪🧬🖥️ https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.04.30.722009v1”
— Bluesky· May 2026“When illness hits a cross-cultural couple, caregiving instincts clash. Not about who cares more. One family shows up en masse. The other waits to be asked. Both feel right. Both feel like rejection. Tell your partner what you need. If they adjust, it's culture not indifference.”
— Bluesky· May 2026““We don’t consult. We co-manage.” Tribal forests cross boundaries, so partnerships with federal/state agencies are key. Co-management brings shared restoration, & wildfire risk reduction — but challenges remain. #TribalForestry #SharedStewardship #ForestResilience”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Was this helpful?
Comments
UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
A geometrical figure consisting of two straight lines or bars intersecting each other such that at least one of them is bisected by the other.
Put a cross for a wrong answer and a tick for a right one.
Origin: From , cros, from , from , from , from (crucī). In this sense displaced native , from ; see . . Compare , . The sense of "two intersecting lines drawn or cut on a surface; two lines intersecting at right angles" without regard to religious signification develops from the late 14th century. * * *, kors * * *, korss *, Kjus * * * *. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Cluster: general
Heard in the wild
“I only cross post to tumblr bc why not. It’s old and has an ask me Ana feature I like and wish existed everywhere else. I like the customization and wish I was there and had internet when it was cool. 2/2”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Progress on the north side of Woolwich Rd. Here cyclists will be able to cross over to/from the south side to follow C4, or stay on the north to join a two-way cycle on Anchor and Hope Lane...”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Now playing on Shadow Planet: "A Cross Abandoned" by PANOPTICON”
— Bluesky· May 2026“North Korea 🇰🇵 North Korea's women's football team Naegohyang will make a rare cross-border visit to South Korea for the Asian Women's Champions League semi-final, the first time North Korean athletes have crossed since 2018. buff.ly/FiMpdDF”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Was this helpful?
Comments
UK
#3·Apr 27, 2026UK
(heraldry) Any geometric figure having this or a similar shape, such as a cross of Lorraine or a Maltese cross.
Criminals were commonly executed on a wooden cross.
Heard in the wild
“This is all at Charing Cross Hospital, which naturally you find in Hammersmith. 😄”
— Bluesky· May 2026“⛽ DEVON! Your cheapest unleaded petrol (E10) today is 149.9p/L at Exbourne Cross Garage, EX20 3SA — and 5 others at the same price! #UKFuel #Pumpr #Devon”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Walked by an open fiber cross connect cabinet with no van in sight. Closed it to save the neighbour from messers.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“It does indeed seem as if the smears are failing to achieve the intended results. And them obsessing over silly things like his use of the term 'spokesman' when helping the Red Cross raise funds shows the sniff of desperation.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“That said, I don't have much of a "community" so I can cross that bridge when I get there.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Was this helpful?
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
UK
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "cross".
⚡About Tech, Dev & AI slang
The vocabulary of software engineers, AI researchers, and anyone living in a terminal or on GitHub — from LLM to MCP, CORS to vibe coding, agentic to enshittification.
See all Tech, Dev & AI slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "cross" (C)
croppycrorecrorepaticrorethcroriCrosleycross and pilecrossbar hotelcross-channelcrossedcross-eyedcrossfade
Browse all slang words starting with C.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- rood69%
(archaic) A crucifix, cross, especially in a church.
- crossed63%
Marked by a line drawn crosswise, often denoting cancellation.
- crucial63%
(archaic) Cruciform or cruciate; cross-shaped.
- crossed63%
(heraldry) Having a cross placed on it, or (with respect to the arms of a cross) having a bar placed crosswise over (an existing bar) so as to form a cross.