What does crosschecked mean?
"Crosschecked" is the past tense of the verb "crosscheck," meaning to verify information by confirming it against an independent second source. The word combines "cross" (in the sense of crossing over between items) and "check" (to examine for accuracy), and it carries strong connotations of rigor and diligence: to say a claim was crosschecked suggests it has been tested from more than one angle rather than taken at face value. The term is at home in journalism, scientific research, finance, aviation safety, and data analysis, wherever errors carry real consequences. A researcher might have crosschecked survey results against official statistics, or an editor might have crosschecked dates across multiple records. Beyond its verification sense, "crosscheck" also names an illegal move in ice hockey, where a player checks an opponent with both hands on the stick shaft extended across the body. For writers and professionals alike, "crosschecked" signals careful, corroborated accuracy rather than single-source assumption.
verbSimple past tense and past participle of "crosscheck": to verify or confirm information by checking it against a second or independent source.
- (of a person) To verify information, data, or facts by comparing two or more independent sources.
- (in ice hockey) To check an opponent using the shaft of the stick held in both hands across the body — an illegal play.
"She crosschecked the figures against the original invoices before submitting the report."
"The journalist crosschecked every quotation against the court transcript before publication."
"Before finalizing the itinerary, he crosschecked the flight times on two different airline websites."
Every fact in this sentence could be crosschecked — and that's exactly what the word demands: truth by comparison, not by trust.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of crosschecked
The word is formed transparently from "cross" plus "check." "Check" entered English in the late Middle Ages through the game of chess, deriving from Old French "esches" ("check" in chess), from Persian "shah" ("king") — the call warning that the king is under attack. From the chess sense grew the broader meaning of halting or testing something, and later the sense of verification. "Crosscheck" arose as a compound combining this verification sense with "cross" to convey comparison across sources, becoming especially common in twentieth-century journalistic, scientific, and sporting usage.
Related word forms
How crosschecked is actually used
Neutral to formal register; common in journalism, science, accounting, aviation, and research contexts where accuracy matters. In ice hockey, "crosscheck" as a penalty term uses the same form but is a distinct sense; most everyday use refers to verification.
Easily confused with crosschecked
"Cross-checked" is the hyphenated variant spelling of the same verb form; both spellings are accepted, though unhyphenated "crosschecked" is increasingly common in American usage.
"Double-checked" means simply examined a second time, while "crosschecked" specifically implies verifying one source against a different, independent source.