Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A current flowing across another current.
  • noun A conflicting tendency, inclination, or movement.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun a stretch of turbulent water in the sea.
  • noun a tendency or sentiment within a group which conflicts with that of the majority; -- often used in the plural.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun nautical A turbulent stretch of water caused by multiple currents.
  • noun by extension A situation in which there are conflicting opinions.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a stretch of turbulent water in a river or the sea caused by one current flowing into or across another current
  • noun actions counter to the main group activity

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word crosscurrent.

Examples

  • Analysts said Treasurys are caught in a crosscurrent of uneven, yet encouraging, data, and longer-term concerns about rising price pressures.

    Treasurys Can't Gain on Weak Data Javier E. David 2011

  • At that precise instant, the train took a bend and brought them right into a crosscurrent of wind.

    Starcraft II: Devils’ Due Christie Golden 2011

  • Even in the darkest of Leopardi's "Canti" there is a sense of some rhythmic crosscurrent at work, as though the harsh message were being uplifted by the stately surges of the lines.

    The Raptures of a Tragic Visionary Eric Ormsby 2010

  • At that precise instant, the train took a bend and brought them right into a crosscurrent of wind.

    Starcraft II: Devils’ Due Christie Golden 2011

  • Many of the congregation had thrown their arms in the air and swayed from side to side as if caught in a strong crosscurrent.

    Let The Dead Lie Malla Nunn 2010

  • The bluster and the buddy talk was easy to fall back into, caught up in the crosscurrent of a waning adrenaline charge and his burgeoning buzz.

    DEVILS IN EXILE Chuck Hogan 2010

  • Fish it crosscurrent with a start-stop retrieve: It will hop and zigzag from seam to seam, something that gets trout, smallmouths, and walleyes to take notice. $7; 952-224-3649; www. salmo-usa.com

    SALMO TENO 2008

  • The bluster and the buddy talk was easy to fall back into, caught up in the crosscurrent of a waning adrenaline charge and his burgeoning buzz.

    DEVILS IN EXILE Chuck Hogan 2010

  • The bluster and the buddy talk was easy to fall back into, caught up in the crosscurrent of a waning adrenaline charge and his burgeoning buzz.

    DEVILS IN EXILE Chuck Hogan 2010

  • Many of the congregation had thrown their arms in the air and swayed from side to side as if caught in a strong crosscurrent.

    Let The Dead Lie Malla Nunn 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.