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.
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.
First Known Use of cruise
1696
CRUISE Defined for English Language Learners
cruise
playDefinition of cruise for English Language Learners
-
: to travel on a boat or ship to a number of places as a vacation
-
of a car, airplane, etc. : to move along at a steady speed
-
: to drive or be driven slowly
cruise
Definition of cruise for English Language Learners
-
: 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
-
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
What made you want to look up cruise? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!