cruise

1 of 2

verb

ˈkrüz 

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

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

transitive verb

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

especially : surf

cruise the Internet

cruise

2 of 2

noun

: an act or an instance of cruising

especially : a tour by ship

Synonyms of cruise

Verb

• wander
• roam
• stroll
• drift
• float

Noun

• voyage

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

By then Arsenal were cruising, thanks to an hour of crisp passing and progressive possession punctuated by goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Odegaard. — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026

The twin-engine, turbo-prop aircraft are pressurized, seat up to nine passengers and have the ability to cruise at 330 mph at 28,000 feet, Security Aviation says. — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Noun

Despite the brawl, people CBS News Detroit spoke with on Sunday are looking forward to coming back to the cruise next year. — Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026

Best Time to Ride The White Pass & Yukon Route operates seasonally, generally from late April or early May through early October, with schedules tied closely to Skagway’s cruise season. — Bailey Berg, Travel + Leisure, 16 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Dutch kruisen to make a cross, cruise, from Middle Dutch crucen, from crūce cross, from Latin cruc-, crux

First Known Use

Verb

1651, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1696, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cruise

• adaptive cruise control
• booze cruise
• cruise control
• cruise liner
• cruise missile
• cruise ship
• radar cruise control

Rhymes for cruise

• blues
• boos
• booze
• brews
• bruise
• chews
• choose
• chuse
• clews
• clues
• coups
• crews

Kids Definition

cruise

verb

ˈkrüz

cruised; cruising

1

: to travel by boat often stopping at a series of ports

2

: to travel for enjoyment

3

: to travel at the best operating speed

the cruising speed of an airplane

cruise noun

Etymology

Verb

from Dutch kruisen "to cruise, move crosswise," from early Dutch crūce "cross," from Latin crux "cross" — related to cross, crucial