diff --git a/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/mips-freebsd/Makefile b/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/mips-freebsd/Makefile
index 7f67166214c..2546370cbbe 100644
--- a/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/mips-freebsd/Makefile
+++ b/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/mips-freebsd/Makefile
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ PROG=		as
 .if	${MACHINE_ARCH} != "mipsel" && ${MACHINE_ARCH} != "mipseb"
 NOMAN=		1
 BINDIR=		/usr/libexec/cross/mips-freebsd
+# If we aren't doing cross-assembling, some operations can be optimized, since
+# byte orders and value sizes don't need to be adjusted.
+CFLAGS+=	-DCROSS_COMPILE=1
 .endif
 .if ${MACHINE_ARCH} == "mipsel"
 CFLAGS+=	-DTARGET_BYTES_BIG_ENDIAN=0
diff --git a/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/powerpc-freebsd/Makefile b/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/powerpc-freebsd/Makefile
index 877057034e7..d216189c427 100644
--- a/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/powerpc-freebsd/Makefile
+++ b/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/powerpc-freebsd/Makefile
@@ -1,12 +1,16 @@
-#
 # $FreeBSD$
-#
 
 .include "${.CURDIR}/../Makefile.inc0"
 
 PROG=		as
+.if	${TARGET_ARCH} != "powerpc"
 NOMAN=		1
 BINDIR=		/usr/libexec/cross/powerpc-freebsd
+# If we aren't doing cross-assembling, some operations can be optimized, since
+# byte orders and value sizes don't need to be adjusted.
+CFLAGS+=	-DCROSS_COMPILE=1
+.endif
 SRCS+=		obj-elf.c tc-ppc.c
 
+
 .include <bsd.prog.mk>
diff --git a/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/sparc-freebsd/Makefile b/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/sparc-freebsd/Makefile
index 49784f37a09..cc5e30b17df 100644
--- a/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/sparc-freebsd/Makefile
+++ b/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/sparc-freebsd/Makefile
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ PROG=		as
 .if	${TARGET_ARCH} != "sparc"
 NOMAN=		1
 BINDIR=		/usr/libexec/cross/sparc-freebsd
+# If we aren't doing cross-assembling, some operations can be optimized, since
+# byte orders and value sizes don't need to be adjusted.
+CFLAGS+=	-DCROSS_COMPILE=1
 .endif
 SRCS+=		obj-elf.c tc-sparc.c
 
diff --git a/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/sparc64-freebsd/Makefile b/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/sparc64-freebsd/Makefile
index 9ee55b616df..85abe7d2ee7 100644
--- a/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/sparc64-freebsd/Makefile
+++ b/gnu/usr.bin/binutils/as/sparc64-freebsd/Makefile
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ PROG=		as
 .if	${TARGET_ARCH} != "sparc64"
 NOMAN=		1
 BINDIR=		/usr/libexec/cross/sparc64-freebsd
+# If we aren't doing cross-assembling, some operations can be optimized, since
+# byte orders and value sizes don't need to be adjusted.
+CFLAGS+=	-DCROSS_COMPILE=1
 .endif
 SRCS+=		obj-elf.c tc-sparc.c