Definition of: "cross paths" with explanation and origin

Definition of: cross paths with explanation and origin? Meaning of cross paths with examples in English idiom dictionary.

English	English

Definition of: "cross paths" with explanation and origin

cross paths

cross paths
also, cross someone’s path

Meaning

• encounter or meet someone by chance.
• unexpectedly come across somebody.
• The idiom is used to express a general encounter or meeting with someone, especially when it was not expected.
• It is used to describe being in the same physical place with someone else by pure chance, maybe in the street, a show, a restaurant, or any other random location, especially when the meeting occurred because of two separate journeys.

Example in Sentences

1. I believe we will cross paths soon.
2. Today I crossed paths with Peter.
3. For your sake, I hope we do not cross paths again.
4. I am sure I will scream if a chameleon crosses my path.
5. I did not know his name, so I hoped we might cross paths again soon.
6. It was lovely meeting you. I hope we cross paths again.
7. My obsession with aliens has led me to cross paths with some horrible truths.
8. They would go on to cross paths in the future, but they took different turns.
9. The sea is dangerous, which raises the chances of crossing paths with pirate ships.
10. Since that incident five years ago, he has never crossed my path again.
11. Frank crossed paths with Emily on a few occasions.

Origin

The idiom “cross path” has been in use since the early part of the seventeenth century. Originally, people used the expression as a connotation for thwarting or obstructing someone in some way, though this meaning has faded away in the current usage.

Grammar Tip

The phrase “cross path” is also in use, but “cross paths” is grammatically more appropriate.

The Origins of cross paths

English

Related Dictionary

• English Definition & Meaning Dictionary
• English Idioms and phrases Dictionary
• Dictionnaire Français
• Dictionnaire d'expressions idiomatiques et de phrases en français

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English Idioms and phrases

An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below). By another definition, an idiom is a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements.[3] For example, an English speaker would understand the phrase "kick the bucket" to mean "to die" – and also to actually kick a bucket. Furthermore, they would understand when each meaning is being used in context.

To evoke the desired effect in the listener, idioms require a precise replication of the phrase: not even articles can be used interchangeably (e.g. "kick a bucket" only retains the literal meaning of the phrase but not the idiomatic meaning).

Idioms should not be confused with other figures of speech such as metaphors, which evoke an image by use of implicit comparisons (e.g., "the man of steel"); similes, which evoke an image by use of explicit comparisons (e.g., "faster than a speeding bullet"); or hyperbole, which exaggerates an image beyond truthfulness (e.g., "more powerful than a locomotive"). Idioms are also not to be confused with proverbs, which are simple sayings that express a truth based on common sense or practical experience.