cruise control

noun

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

Definition of cruise control

1 : an electronic device in a vehicle that controls the throttle so as to maintain a constant speed

2 : a relaxed and seemingly automatic pace that is easily maintained

See cruise control defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of cruise control from the Web

The dispatcher then asked if Cooper could set his cruise control and then manually use it to slow his speed.

— howard cohen, miamiherald, "‘My gas pedal is stuck ... I’m about to hit somebody’ — and he was going 95 mph," 14 Feb. 2018
Buy Photo Jack Herman could spend his senior season on cruise control.

— phil anastasia, Philly.com, "Eastern baseball star Jack Herman set for final season," 30 Mar. 2018
Between September and October 2009, Ford initiated a recall of 15 million vehicles with overheating switches in cruise control systems, the second-largest auto recall in history.

— james f. haggerty, Fortune, "Commentary: How Facebook’s Response Ignited the Cambridge Analytica Scandal," 27 Mar. 2018
Samford's Stephen Jones started the game for the Bulldogs and was on cruise control until the fifth inning.

— samford athletics, AL.com, "Samford baseball to face UAB at Regions Field on Tuesday," 26 Mar. 2018
And to get peak fuel economy requires driving it, almost, as an electric vehicle: go easy on the gas, do short shifts, anticipate the need for power and set the cruise control at the speed limit (more or less) on open road.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Chevrolet Cruze LT diesel: In it for the long haul," 16 Mar. 2018
Drivers can also push the cruise control stalk, or lightly press the brake pedal to disengage.

— jordan golson, Ars Technica, "Tesla’s Model X: A lovely roadtripper with stiff daily driving competition," 21 Jan. 2018
The steering wheel had controls for the audio system, cruise control and hands-free phone.

— emma jayne williams, star-telegram, "Buick’s Cascada convertible has room for up to four people, starts at $33,065 | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 17 Mar. 2018
The Trump Administration has on cruise control the same ISIS-centric policies of the Obama Administration.

— james stavridis, Time, "The Syrian Civil War Has Raged for 7 Years. This Is What the U.S. Can Do to Help End It," 12 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of cruise control

1960

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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CRUISE CONTROL Defined for English Language Learners

cruise control

noun

Definition of cruise control for English Language Learners

: a device in a vehicle that a driver turns on to make the vehicle continue at whatever speed the driver has chosen
: a relaxed pace that does not require a lot of effort