Meanings
nouncrossfire (countable and uncountable, plural crossfires)
plural crossfires
- countableuncountablegovernmentAn arrangement of two or more weapons so each can fire diagonally at something in front of a line between them.
- countableuncountableThe danger to a third party passing between two belligerents firing at one another.
The two factions were either side of the road. A civilian lorry was caught in the crossfire and became collateral damage
- countableuncountableThe danger to a third party passing between a gunman and his target.
A woman who was caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting in north London on Tuesday evening was not the intended target, police have said.
2024 May 15, Geneva Abdul, “Woman hit in London drive-by shooting was not intended target, police say”, in The Guardian - broadlycountableuncountableA heated confrontation between opposing factions.
Origin
- Englishcross-
- Proto-Indo-European*péh₂wr̥
- Proto-Germanic*fōr
- Proto-West Germanic*fuir
- Old Englishfȳr
- Middle Englishfyr
- Englishfire
- Englishcrossfire
Translations
Bulgarian кръ́стосан о́гън
- кръ́стосан о́гън (krắstosan ógăn)lines of fire
Catalan foc creuat
- foc creuatlines of fire
Chinese Mandarin 交火
- 交火 (jiāohuǒ)lines of fire
Czech křížová palba
- křížová palbalines of fire
Danish krydsild
- krydsildlines of fire
Finnish sanaharkka, kiistely
- sanaharkkaheated confrontation
- kiistelyheated confrontation
- riitaheated confrontation
- riitelyheated confrontation
- ristitulilines of fire
French feux croisés
- feux croiséslines of fire
German Kreuzfeuer
- Kreuzfeuerlines of fire
Hebrew אֵשׁ צוֹלֶבֶת
- אֵשׁ צוֹלֶבֶת (esh tzolévet)lines of fire
Hungarian kereszttűz
- kereszttűzlines of fire
Italian fuoco incrociato
- fuoco incrociatolines of fire
Japanese 十字砲火
- 十字砲火 (jūjihōka)lines of fire
Polish ogień krzyżowy, ogień krzyżowy
- ogień krzyżowyheated confrontation
- ogień krzyżowylines of fire
Portuguese fogo cruzado, fogo cruzado
- fogo cruzadoheated confrontation
- fogo cruzadolines of fire
Russian перекрёстный ого́нь, перекрёстный ого́нь
- перекрёстный ого́нь (perekrjóstnyj ogónʹ)heated confrontation
- перекрёстный ого́нь (perekrjóstnyj ogónʹ)lines of fire
Spanish fuego cruzado
- fuego cruzadolines of fire
Swedish korseld
- korseldlines of fire
Turkish çapraz ateş, çapraz ateş
- çapraz ateşheated confrontation
- çapraz ateşlines of fire
Ukrainian перехре́сний вого́нь
- перехре́сний вого́нь (perexrésnyj vohónʹ)lines of fire
Cite this entry
APA
crossfire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crossfire
MLA
“crossfire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crossfire. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crossfire,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crossfire.
Source: crossfire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.