godan verb (-ru)
cross over; wade across
Literary or somewhat old-fashioned verb for crossing a body of water, often with determination or force. Not common in everyday speech; modern Japanese would more often use 渡る or 押し進む depending on context.
兵士たちは川を押し渡った。
The soldiers waded across the river.
Standard kanji spelling.
Variant spelling without okurigana し.
Common verb for crossing; 押し渡る adds a nuance of pushing through or forcing one's way across, often with effort or in a literary context.
Compound of 押し (push) + 渡る (cross), literally 'push-cross'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of crossing with effort.