cruise

1 of 2

verb

cruised; cruising

intransitive verb

1
: to sail about touching at a series of ports
2
: to move or proceed speedily, smoothly, or effortlessly
I'll cruise over to her house to see if she's home
3
: to travel without destination or purpose
4
a
: to go about the streets at random but on the lookout for possible developments
the cabdriver cruised for an hour before being hailed
b
: to search (as in public places) for a sexual partner
5
a
of an airplane : to fly at the most efficient operating speed
b
of an automobile : to travel at a speed suitable for being maintained for a long distance

transitive verb

1
: to cruise over or about
2
: to inspect (land) with reference to possible lumber yield
3
a
: to search in (a public place) for a sexual partner
b
: to approach and suggest sexual relations to
4
: to explore or search the offerings of
especially : surf
cruise the Internet

cruise

2 of 2

noun

: an act or an instance of cruising
especially : a tour by ship

Examples of cruise in a Sentence

Verb We cruised for a week down the Yangtze River. He dreams of cruising the Mediterranean. The bus was cruising at 55 miles per hour. We were cruising along the highway. The plane was cruising at 30,000 feet. On Friday nights, teenagers cruise the main street in town to show off their cars. A car cruised past us. Noun We went on a weeklong cruise down the Yangtze River. They went on a cruise for their honeymoon.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Bikers and roller skaters were cruising the beachside promenade. Ryan M. Moser, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Apr. 2024 But Florida appeared to be shifting rapidly to the right since 2020, with Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, cruising to reelection by nearly 20 points. Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 23 Apr. 2024 The pod cruised alongside the boat, allowing the crew and excited passengers to take pictures. Julia Daye, Sacramento Bee, 23 Apr. 2024 Seafarers will be cruising in the lap of luxury, too. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2024 With just 100 guests and 76 crew, the Sakara is part of the larger trend in cruising: smaller ships that cater to vacationers who want the style and feel of a yacht, and the intimate service that accompanies that, with the amenities of a larger ship. Doug Wallace, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024 Winn was cruising, using only 63 pitches to complete five scoreless, before the first batter of the sixth, Luis Arraez, lined a ball right back at him. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024 Instead, your family will be treated to an old-timey experience filled with world-famous Mackinac Island fudge and days spent biking around the island, taking a ferry under the Mackinac Bridge, or cruising around the coast by kayak. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2024 Built for day cruising on lakes and coastlines, the Tridentel is equipped with two electric motors capable of collectively producing 600 hp and a battery pack with a capacity of 252 kWh. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024
Noun
Up on the foils, the hulls top out at around 30 knots, and the 25-knot cruise yields a 50-mile range. J. George Gorant, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2024 Detroit Hours on 4/20: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Deals include: Mambas 6 for $29 Pre-rolls BOGO 1.5g dispo BOGO 2g dispo 2 for $50 1g carts 15 for $100 Monroe County Mint Cannabis is selling tickets to enter a raffle to win Tigers tickets, an NFL draft package or a cruise getaway to Jamacia. Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 16 Apr. 2024 Getting fresh supplies is easier on some cruises than others. Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024 Sign up for a Disney+ subscription here and enter the Galápagos cruise contest here. Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Apr. 2024 The cruise port bus was dropping off people near a pier when a bystander informed the driver that the bus was moving forward. Rebekah Riess, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024 The sale, which was extended and must be booked by April 18, offers cruises starting at just $179 per person, according to MSC. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2024 Mom accused of leaving 2 young children home alone for days to go on cruise Lemma said investigators do not know where Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas was traveling. Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 12 Apr. 2024 Next year’s cruise cancellations affect passengers of the Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Sky, and Norwegian Viva. Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cruise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Dutch kruisen to make a cross, cruise, from Middle Dutch crucen, from crūce cross, from Latin cruc-, crux

First Known Use

Verb

1651, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1696, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cruise was in 1651

Dictionary Entries Near cruise

Cite this Entry

“Cruise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cruise. Accessed 2 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

cruise

verb
ˈkrüz
cruised; cruising
1
: to travel by boat often stopping at a series of ports
2
: to travel for enjoyment
3
: to travel at the best operating speed
the cruising speed of an airplane
cruise noun
Etymology

Verb

from Dutch kruisen "to cruise, move crosswise," from early Dutch crūce "cross," from Latin crux "cross" — related to cross, crucial

More from Merriam-Webster on cruise

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