Definition of cruise
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
4a : to go about the streets at random but on the lookout for possible developments the cabdriver cruised for an hour before being hailedb : to search (as in public places) for a sexual partner
5a of an airplane : to fly at the most efficient operating speedb 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 partnerb : to approach and suggest sexual relations to
From the M-W Editors
Examples of cruise in a Sentence
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.
Recent Examples of cruise from the Web
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Still, Truex got the jump on the restart and cruised home as a wreck erupted back in the field.
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Twitter user @fentyy discovered an old shot of Rih calmly cruising around the water while sitting with her legs crossed on one side.
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The Truckster will cruise south tomorrow, spend the night in Columbia, SC, then drive the final five to the rental on South Ponte Vedra Beach.
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Irina Falconi, an American who was born in Ecuador, cruised through the qualifying rounds of Wimbledon without losing a set.
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Sagan, the star of the German Bora-Hansgrohe team, seemed to be cruising to victory until his right foot slipped out of his pedal in the last few hundred meters.
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Wiley finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds as Team USA cruised to a 109-68 win in Cairo and improved to 2-0 in group play at the international tournament.
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Kourtney Kardashian cruised through LAX airport on Friday looking like a straight jet-setting goddess in sunglasses, track suit, and heels.
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A 16-foot great white named Mary Lee has been cruising the Mid-Atlantic lately.
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.
Origin and Etymology of cruise
Dutch kruisen to make a cross, cruise, from Middle Dutch crucen, from crūce cross, from Latin cruc-, crux
Examples of cruise in a Sentence
We went on a weeklong cruise down the Yangtze River.
They went on a cruise for their honeymoon.
Recent Examples of cruise from the Web
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As reported in The Washington Post and on a NOAA blog, research cruises by NOAA fisheries have encountered unusually large numbers of the organisms off Oregon since last winter.
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The spouses of G20 leaders are scheduled to tour a climate-change center in Hamburg and take a river cruise while the world leaders attend the summit.
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Zip it If sailing through the wilderness at 55 mph sounds like fun, cruise to La Jolla Zip Zoom for a ride on California’s longest zip line.
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Fourth and River Road, Tuesday, July 4. Board, 8 p.m.; cruise, 8:30-10:30 p.m. Concessions and cash bar.
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Survivors described hearing a loud explosion near the men's bathroom that knocked out power a few minutes after the boat began its cruise around the giant lake.
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Survivors described hearing a loud explosion near the men’s bathroom that knocked out power a few minutes after the boat began its cruise around the giant lake.
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And music has certainly been an important part of the show; in a highlight from last season, Maura’s ex-wife Shelly (Judith Light) performed a one-woman cruise-ship cabaret show called To Shell and Back, which Faith wrote.
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The day will include the Environmental Studies Center’s Raptor Road Show on the Great Lawn; guided cruises on Fowl River with WildNative Delta Safaris; and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Touch Tables featuring the sea life of the Gulf Coast.
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.
First Known Use of cruise
1696
CRUISE Defined for English Language Learners
cruise
playDefinition of cruise for English Language Learners
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: to travel on a boat or ship to a number of places as a vacation
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of a car, airplane, etc. : to move along at a steady speed
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: to drive or be driven slowly
cruise
Definition of cruise for English Language Learners
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: a journey on a boat or ship to a number of places as a vacation
CRUISE Defined for Kids
Definition of cruise for Students
cruised
;cruising
1 : to travel by ship often stopping at a series of ports They cruised along the coast.
2 : to travel at a steady pace
Learn More about cruise
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See words that rhyme with cruise Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for cruise Spanish Central: Translation of cruise Nglish: Translation of cruise for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of cruise for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
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