cruised; cruising
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
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
Synonyms
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 1 Dec. 2023
The summer cruise itineraries include a total of six ships in Alaska — offering the most Glacier Bay permits in the whole cruise industry — as well as several itineraries that head to Iceland and Greenland and itineraries that cruise in the Canada/New England region.
—Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
Ulf Svane Ulf Svane A third of my trip happens away from terra firma, cruising the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.
—Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Nov. 2023
For a memorable experience, have a bite to eat in historic downtown Annapolis's Ego Alley, a narrow waterway where yachts and boaters cruise by.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 10 Nov. 2023
The Chargers, after failing to top 17 points in back-to-back losses, opened a 24-7 halftime edge and then cruised as their defense bottled up the Bears and rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent, who was making his second career start.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2023
Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic On 102-passenger National Geographic Orion, Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic offers an atypical 16-day Kimberley sail by cruising between Broome and Bali, Indonesia, rather than just between Broome and Darwin, in May, June, and July 2024.
—Janice Wald Henderson, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2023
In addition to the awkward situation with their cruising buddy, this person also lost out on a substantial deposit.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023
Price at time of publication: $21 Mattel Barbie Car and Doll Set
View On Amazon View On Target View On Walmart
Who doesn’t want to go cruising with Barbie?
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 8 Nov. 2023
Holly Jones, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023
Remote workers rushed to secure spots on a three-year cruise around the world that cost more than $30,000 annually.
—Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2023
For example, travelers who book a two to four night cruise in an inside, oceanview, or balcony room will receive up to $75 per stateroom, while travelers who book a suite or a stateroom in the MSC Yacht Club on the same cruise will receive up to $150 per stateroom.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2023
Located three hours from Uganda’s capital Entebbe, Jinja is the source of the Nile River and offers white water rafting and gorgeous sunset cruises.
—Mariette Williams, Essence, 17 Nov. 2023
Diana later joined Fayed at a hotel in Paris before boarding a Harrods helicopter for a five-day Mediterranean cruise with the movie mogul.
—Nicole Briese, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023
Would a private-equity firm combine amusement parks, cruise lines, film and TV production, TV channels, a sports network and a streaming business?
—WSJ, 15 Nov. 2023
Before the serious discussion — which did end in an agreement — the Carters and Kim took a cruise down a river.
—Kevin Sullivan, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023
Lanthimos was also happy to marry old and new technologies, building a miniature ship on which Bella is taken for an unwilling cruise using old-style handcraft – then lighting the ship scenes with vast LED panels that created the look of impossibly colorful and mystical seas and skies.
—Will Tizard, Variety, 19 Nov. 2023
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Verb
Fidler and his family are using the vessel to cruise the UAE and Oman.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 1 Dec. 2023
The summer cruise itineraries include a total of six ships in Alaska — offering the most Glacier Bay permits in the whole cruise industry — as well as several itineraries that head to Iceland and Greenland and itineraries that cruise in the Canada/New England region.
—Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
Ulf Svane Ulf Svane A third of my trip happens away from terra firma, cruising the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.
—Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Nov. 2023
For a memorable experience, have a bite to eat in historic downtown Annapolis's Ego Alley, a narrow waterway where yachts and boaters cruise by.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 10 Nov. 2023
The Chargers, after failing to top 17 points in back-to-back losses, opened a 24-7 halftime edge and then cruised as their defense bottled up the Bears and rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent, who was making his second career start.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2023
Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic On 102-passenger National Geographic Orion, Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic offers an atypical 16-day Kimberley sail by cruising between Broome and Bali, Indonesia, rather than just between Broome and Darwin, in May, June, and July 2024.
—Janice Wald Henderson, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2023
In addition to the awkward situation with their cruising buddy, this person also lost out on a substantial deposit.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023
Price at time of publication: $21 Mattel Barbie Car and Doll Set
View On Amazon View On Target View On Walmart
Who doesn’t want to go cruising with Barbie?
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 8 Nov. 2023
Noun
The film opens as a car cruises along the highway at night, the Río skyline across the waterway as soft music trails the travel.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023
Remote workers rushed to secure spots on a three-year cruise around the world that cost more than $30,000 annually.
—Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2023
For example, travelers who book a two to four night cruise in an inside, oceanview, or balcony room will receive up to $75 per stateroom, while travelers who book a suite or a stateroom in the MSC Yacht Club on the same cruise will receive up to $150 per stateroom.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2023
Located three hours from Uganda’s capital Entebbe, Jinja is the source of the Nile River and offers white water rafting and gorgeous sunset cruises.
—Mariette Williams, Essence, 17 Nov. 2023
Diana later joined Fayed at a hotel in Paris before boarding a Harrods helicopter for a five-day Mediterranean cruise with the movie mogul.
—Nicole Briese, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023
Would a private-equity firm combine amusement parks, cruise lines, film and TV production, TV channels, a sports network and a streaming business?
—WSJ, 15 Nov. 2023
Before the serious discussion — which did end in an agreement — the Carters and Kim took a cruise down a river.
—Kevin Sullivan, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023
Lanthimos was also happy to marry old and new technologies, building a miniature ship on which Bella is taken for an unwilling cruise using old-style handcraft – then lighting the ship scenes with vast LED panels that created the look of impossibly colorful and mystical seas and skies.
—Will Tizard, Variety, 19 Nov. 2023
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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
Phrases Containing cruise
Dictionary Entries Near cruise
Cite this Entry
“Cruise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cruise. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
cruise
verbˈkrüz
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
More from Merriam-Webster on cruise
Nglish: Translation of cruise for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of cruise for Arabic Speakers
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