# across

/əˈkɹɔs/ (US) · /əkɹˈɒs/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/across
Updated: 2026-05-02

## Senses

### 1. from one side to the other

preposition · CEFR A1

from one side of something to the other side.

For teachers: from one side to the opposite side of a space, surface, or line.

- The children ran across the road to reach the park.
- The marathon route takes the runners across the historic bridge, offering a panoramic view of the city skyline before they enter the final stretch.

### 2. on the opposite side

preposition · CEFR A1

on the other side of something.

For teachers: positioned on the opposite side of a particular area or divider.

- The bakery is just across the street from the library.
- The two rival companies are located across the square from each other, maintaining a constant visual reminder of their competition.

### 3. throughout an area

preposition · CEFR B1

in every part of a place or group.

For teachers: distributed throughout or reaching every part of a specific area or population.

- The news spread quickly across the small village.
- The government implemented new environmental regulations across the entire manufacturing sector to reduce carbon emissions by the end of the decade.

### 4. movement to the other side

adverb · CEFR A2

moving from one side to the other.

For teachers: to or on the opposite side; used when the space being crossed is understood.

- The river is narrow enough to swim across.
- The ferry takes only ten minutes to get across, making it a convenient option for daily commuters.

### 5. informed about

preposition · CEFR C1 · British English · Formal

knowing all the details about a situation or plan.

For teachers: fully informed about or in control of a specific situation or set of facts.

- I need to make sure the manager is across the new project details.
- The director is fully across the budgetary implications of the merger and will present her findings to the board tomorrow morning.

### 6. crossword clues

noun · CEFR B2

a word that goes from left to right in a word puzzle.

For teachers: a clue or answer that is entered horizontally in a crossword puzzle.

- I have finished all the across clues, but the down ones are hard.
- The solver struggled with twelve across, a cryptic clue that required knowledge of obscure botanical terms.

## Examples

- The children ran across the street to the park.
- The new bridge allows commuters to travel across the river in less than five minutes.
- The sunlight stretched across the valley floor, illuminating the small villages that were nestled between the steep mountain ridges on either side.

## Pitfalls

- Not "He walked across of the bridge" but "He walked across the bridge" — Across is a preposition and does not require 'of' to connect to its object.

## Usage notes

- Typically followed by a noun phrase acting as the object of the preposition.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.