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
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
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Dec. 2025
Back then, the affected aircraft, an Airbus 330, nosedived twice on its own while cruising above the Pacific Ocean, creating brief spells of near weightlessness.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 6 Dec. 2025
Next on the stand was Thomas Hudson, Shauntel's ex-husband, who called for the emergency hearing, arguing that his 9-year-old daughter may be at risk under his ex-wife's supervision following Anna's death on the cruise.
—Michael Ruiz , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cruise
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
There was hardly any stack destruction at all, as Steven and Sage both seemed to cruise through the challenge pretty unencumbered.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Dec. 2025
Back then, the affected aircraft, an Airbus 330, nosedived twice on its own while cruising above the Pacific Ocean, creating brief spells of near weightlessness.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Noun
The cruise line — whose parent company is Carnival Corporation — is based in Germany.
—Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 6 Dec. 2025
Next on the stand was Thomas Hudson, Shauntel's ex-husband, who called for the emergency hearing, arguing that his 9-year-old daughter may be at risk under his ex-wife's supervision following Anna's death on the cruise.
—Michael Ruiz , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cruise
Cite this Entry
“Cruise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cruise. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share