To cross-examine someone is to question them closely to test whether what they have just said is true. In a court, it has an exact meaning: the lawyer for one side questions a witness called by the other side, going carefully through the story looking for gaps, contradictions and things left out. The questions are usually short and pointed, and the aim is not to learn something new but to see whether the account holds up under pressure.

To cross-examine someone交叉詰問某人 is to question them closely就是仔細盤問他們 to test whether藉此檢驗 what they have just said他們剛剛說的話 is true是不是真的。In a court在法庭上，it has an exact meaning它有個明確的意思: the lawyer for one side其中一方的律師 questions盤問 a witness called by the other side另一方傳喚的證人，going carefully through the story仔細檢視整個說法，looking for gaps, contradictions and things left out找漏洞、矛盾，還有被漏掉的地方。The questions這些問題 are usually short and pointed通常又短又尖銳，and the aim而目的 is not to learn something new不是要問出什麼新東西 but to see whether而是要看 the account holds up under pressure那個說法禁不禁得起壓力。

Outside court, English uses it for any sharp, doubting questioning, often with a note of irritation from the person on the receiving end: "Stop cross-examining me — I only went to the shop." A journalist can cross-examine a politician; a parent can cross-examine a teenager; a friend who asks too many suspicious questions can be told they are cross-examining. The formal noun is cross-examination.

Outside court在法庭之外，English uses it英文用這個字 for any sharp, doubting questioning指任何尖銳、帶懷疑的追問，often with a note of irritation常常帶點不耐煩 from the person on the receiving end從被問的人身上流露出來: "Stop cross-examining me — I only went to the shop."「別再盤問我了——我只是去了一趟商店而已。」A journalist can cross-examine a politician記者可以盤問政治人物；a parent can cross-examine a teenager父母可以盤問青少年；a friend who asks too many suspicious questions can be told they are cross-examining問太多可疑問題的朋友，也可能被說是在盤問人。The formal noun這個字的正式名詞 is是 cross-examinationcross-examination。

The word is quite formal and a little dramatic outside legal use — in ordinary talk you would more often say question closely, grill, or press someone.

The word這個字 is quite formal相當正式 and a little dramatic outside legal use在法律用途之外還顯得有點誇張——in ordinary talk在日常對話裡 you would more often say question closely, grill, or press someone你比較常會說question closely、grill，或press someone。