Cross Section Definition & Meaning

American

British

Scientific

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms cross section 1 American [kraws sek-shuhn, kros] / ˈkrɔs ˌsɛk ʃən, ˈkrɒs /

noun

1. a section made by a plane cutting anything transversely, especially at right angles to the longest axis.

2. a piece so cut off.

3. a photograph, diagram, or other pictorial representation of such a section.

4. the act of cutting anything across.

5. a typical selection; a sample showing all characteristic parts, relationships, etc..

   a cross section of American opinion.

6. Surveying. a vertical section of the ground surface taken at right angles to a survey line.

7. Also called nuclear cross section. Physics. a quantity expressing the effective area that a given nucleus presents as a target to a bombarding particle, giving a measure of the probability that the particle will induce a reaction.

cross-section 2 American [kraws-sek-shuhn, kros-] / ˈkrɔsˈsɛk ʃən, ˈkrɒs- /

adjective

1. Also cross-sectional. of or relating to a cross section.

verb (used with object)

1. to make or divide into a cross section.

cross section British

noun

1. maths a plane surface formed by cutting across a solid, esp perpendicular to its longest axis

2. a section cut off in this way

3. the act of cutting anything in this way

4. a random selection or sample, esp one regarded as representative

   a cross section of the public

5. surveying a vertical section of a line of ground at right angles to a survey line

6. physics a measure of the probability that a collision process will result in a particular reaction. It is expressed by the effective area that one participant presents as a target for the other

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 cross section Scientific

1. In particle physics, an expression of the probability of the occurrence of an event, typically the scattering of subatomic particles, over a given area.

Other Word Forms

• cross-sectional adjective

Etymology

Origin of cross section1

First recorded in 1825–35

Origin of cross-section2

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Unlike the full sequence of rings visible in a tree trunk, a cross section of T. rex bone typically captures only the final 10 to 20 years of the dinosaur's life.

From Science Daily

However, the scenario has prompted a cross section of the typically fractious party to unite behind the belief the field must shrink, whether by candidates’ choice or through pressure.

From Los Angeles Times

A broader cross section of thousands of fund returns make up commonly used performance indexes published by Cambridge Associates and MSCI.

From The Wall Street Journal

The American middle class encompasses a broad cross section of workers that includes white-collar office employees, nurses and plumbers, although there is no universally accepted definition.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It was just extraordinary to get that cross section of people who care together,” says Earle, who applauded Eilish’s “passion for nature and the ocean.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• random sample
• sampling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.