cross up

phrasal verb

crossed up; crossing up; crosses up

: to make (someone) confused

The team crossed up their opponent by throwing the ball instead of running it.

: to ruin (something) completely

His failure to meet the deadline crossed up the deal.

Examples of cross up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web January 1, 2024 In a cost-to-coast effort, Claxton crossed up a tough wing defender in Lou Dort, administered the same fate to rookie Cason Wallace, then finished with a soft floater over another rookie in Chet Holmgren, who is already viewed as one of the better shot-blockers in the NBA. —

C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2024 Related Articles Winn was forced to face one extra batter in the first inning when Matos, playing center field, got crossed up with left fielder Heliot Ramos on a fly ball from Freeman that should have been the third out of the inning. —

Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 14 May 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cross up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.