crosscut

[ kraws-kuht, kros- ]

adjective

1. made or used for cutting crosswise.
2. cut across the grain or on the bias.

noun

1. a transverse cut or course.
2. a shortcut by way of an area not ordinarily traversed, as grass or open country; a route that cuts diagonally across a road or path network.
3. Mining. an underground passageway, usually from a shaft to a vein of ore or crosswise of a vein of ore.
4. Movies, Television. an act or instance of crosscutting.
5. a crosscut saw.

verb (used with object)

, cross·cut, cross·cut·ting.

1. to cut or go across.
2. Movies, Television. to insert into a scene or sequence (portions of another scene), as to heighten suspense or suggest simultaneous action.

verb (used without object)

, cross·cut, cross·cut·ting.

1. Movies, Television. to employ the technique of crosscutting.

crosscut

/ ˈkrɒsˌkʌt /

adjective

1. cut at right angles or obliquely to the major axis

noun

1. a transverse cut or course
2. a less common word for short cut
3. mining a tunnel through a vein of ore or from the shaft to a vein

verb

1. to cut across
2. Alsointercut films to link (two sequences or two shots) so that they appear to be taking place at the same time

Other Words From

• crosscutter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of crosscut¹

First recorded in 1580–90; cross- + cut

Example Sentences

And yet, the series takes pains to connect them, thematically and visually, in the editing process, through crosscutting that links them throughout different periods of their lives.

From Los Angeles Times

The film culminates in a rugged all-out brawl at a fight club, which is crosscut with Gaspar confronting Wan Ali in a fight that’s emblematic of the film’s existential poeticism.

From New York Times

There are a few crosscutting themes in my work — thriller aspect with “Blackfish,” but also can I say something remotely important in a new way?

From Salon

The changing circulation patterns also lead to more crosscutting wind shear, which can stymie storm development.

From Scientific American

Calm skies must also prevail because crosscutting winds called shear can rip holes in a nascent hurricane’s vortex.

From Scientific American

Related Words

• cut across
• transect