cruise

verb

\ ˈkrüz

cruised; cruising

Definition of cruise

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

4a : 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

5a 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

3a : 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

noun

Definition of cruise (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about cruise

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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

Carnival canceled sailings for its Carnival Vista ship because of propulsion problems that reduced the vessel’s cruising speed. — Aisha Al-muslim, WSJ, "Carnival Lowers Profit Forecast on Cuba Travel Ban, Slower Europe Demand," 20 June 2019 Then, after beating out an infield single in the sixth, Castellanos appeared to lose track of how many outs there were, cruising with ease to third base on a fly ball to right field. — Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press, "Tigers observations: Twins rebuild paying dividends now and into future," 9 June 2019 Markets had been cruising — despite a global slowdown — when President Trump began May with a threat to increase tariffs from 10 percent to 25 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. — Washington Post, "Here’s why U.S. stock markets didn’t mind a bit of bad news," 8 June 2019 But perhaps even more importantly, Mars has been cruising backward since June 26. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "What August's Capricorn Horoscope Means for You," 30 July 2018 All of which is to say that seeing Prior out late after practice ended–cruising around the near-empty rink at City National Arena, chit-chatting with lineup extras, scooping up loose pucks–would not shock anyone who knows him well. — Alex Prewitt, SI.com, "Vegas Goalie Coach Dave Prior Is Lucky to Be Alive and Still Chasing His First Stanley Cup," 31 May 2018 But Xiaomi has been cruising through the Chinese smartphone market with more budget offerings than its competitors, and it’s been boosted by the popularity of the Redmi Note 5 Pro. — Shannon Liao, The Verge, "China’s smartphone market saw its biggest drop in demand since 2013," 26 Apr. 2018 At cruising speed the engine takes over at its optimal efficiency and charges the battery. — Robert Duffer, chicagotribune.com, "2018 Lexus LC500h review: How to neuter a sports car into a hybrid," 27 Mar. 2018 Walleye will be up cruising the dam as prespawn pushes into the spawn. — Tyler Mahoney, kansascity, "Fishing report: Prospects should improve if the winds stay calm," 7 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The vessel, which can hold up to 3,700 passengers, is scheduled leave downtown Mobile for another cruise later today. — al.com, "Carnival re-routes New Orleans-bound cruise ship to Mobile," 11 July 2019 According to Seascanner, the ship was leaving on Sunday for a seven-day cruise to islands like St. Lucia and Barbados. — Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE.com, "Family 'in Shock' After Baby Apparently Slips from Grandfather's Hands & Falls from Cruise Ship," 9 July 2019 The Victory was on its way from Cozumel to Miami at the end of a four-day cruise when the crew member, 37, went overboard. — Rafael Olmeda, sun-sentinel.com, "Coast Guard suspends search for missing Carnival Victory crew member," 7 July 2019 About 200 children and family members will take a cruise around Newport Harbor on Thursday morning, escorted by the Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol. — Daily Pilot Staff, latimes.com, "Around Town: Concert series brings the Damned, Seal and Rick Springfield to OC Fair & Event Center," 3 July 2019 The Savannah Morning News reports researchers found a shrimp with black gills during a June 21 cruise. — USA TODAY, "Women in baseball, Lynyrd Skynyrd, circus fire: News from around our 50 states," 1 July 2019 When the excitement gets too much, board the Serenity yacht for a cruise into Emerald Bay. — Allen Pierleoni, The Mercury News, "8 spectacular Lake Tahoe beaches for maximum frolic," 30 June 2019 After a week of lavish appearances in Paris (including a boozy boat cruise), the couple settled into Le Chateau de Tourreau yesterday and hung out by the pool. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Sophie Turner Is Wearing High Heels and a Red Dress to Her Rehearsal Dinner with Joe Jonas," 28 June 2019 Taylor found reprieve by taking a canal cruise that ended in a breezy spot in the northeast end of the city. — NBC News, "France endures hottest day on record with U.S. women to face World Cup host," 28 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cruise.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.