cruise
verb (used without object)
to sail about on a pleasure trip.
cruise
1 American
[krooz]
/ kruz /
verb (used without object)
-
cruises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cruised,
past participle, past
-
cruising
present participle
-
to sail about on a pleasure trip.
-
to sail about, as a warship patrolling a body of water.
-
to travel about without a particular purpose or destination.
-
to fly, drive, or sail at a constant speed that permits maximum operating efficiency for sustained travel.
-
to travel at a moderately fast, easily controllable speed.
cruising along the highway enjoying the scenery.
-
to travel about slowly, looking for customers or for something demanding attention.
Taxis and police cars cruise in the downtown area.
-
to go or travel (often followed byover ).
Let's cruise over to my house after the concert.
-
Informal. to go about on the streets or in public areas in search of a sexual partner.
verb (used with object)
-
cruises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cruised,
past participle, past
-
cruising
present participle
-
to cruise in (a specified area).
patrol cars cruising the neighborhood; to cruise the Caribbean.
-
Informal.
-
to move slowly through or visit (a street, park, bar, etc.) in search of a sexual partner.
-
to make sexual overtures to; attempt to arouse the sexual interest of.
-
-
to inspect (a tract of forest) for the purpose of estimating lumber potential.
noun
-
cruises
plural
-
the act of cruising.
-
a pleasure voyage on a ship, usually with stops at various ports.
Cruise
2
American
[krooz]
/ kruz /
noun
cruise
1
British
/ kruːz /
verb
-
(intr) to make a trip by sea in a liner for pleasure, usually calling at a number of ports
-
to sail or travel over (a body of water) for pleasure in a yacht, cruiser, etc
-
(intr) to search for enemy vessels in a warship
-
(intr) (of a vehicle, aircraft, or vessel) to travel at a moderate and efficient speed
-
informal (intr) to search the streets or other public places for a sexual partner
noun
Cruise
2
British
/ kruːz /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
cruisesimple
-
cruisessimple
-
have cruisedperfect
-
has cruisedperfect
-
am cruisingprogressive
-
are cruisingprogressive
-
is cruisingprogressive
-
have been cruisingperfect progressive
-
has been cruisingperfect progressive
Past
-
cruisedsimple
-
had cruisedperfect
-
was cruisingprogressive
-
were cruisingprogressive
-
had been cruisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cruise
1645–55; < Dutch kruisen to cross, cruise, derivative of kruis cross
Explanation
If your mom announces “We’re taking a cruise!” then pack your bags. A cruise is a vacation spent on a ship that sails the ocean, periodically stopping in ports for sightseeing. Cruise can also be a verb that describes sailing around aimlessly for fun. You might cruise the canals of Venice in a small boat. If you don’t live in Venice, you can still cruise — but you might do it in your car. Cruise can be used to describe a leisurely drive taken just for fun. You might cruise around the neighborhood on a Saturday with no real destination in mind. Cruise can also describe traveling easily at a moderate speed.
Vocabulary lists containing cruise
Greetings, World Traveler! — List 2
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List 4
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for January 1–January 7, 2022
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The cruise will depart from the Port of Miami and will feature a Banana Ball game at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Gen. Turki al-Maliki, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, said Tuesday that four cruise missiles and two drones fired toward Riyadh and southern Saudi Arabia had been intercepted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
When a cruise ship passenger contracted the rare hantavirus in May, accounts also immediately touted ivermectin as a "cure" even while there is no known treatment.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
His next holiday will be a cruise leaving from Southampton, allowing him to avoid the stress he associates with flying.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Sure enough, a big cruise ship was cutting across Long Island Sound, its white-and-gold lights glowing against the dark water.
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
It’s a tough result for the film, which stars Cruise as an aging oil tycoon whose company sets off an environmental.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Ticket sales for the satirical black comedy, which stars Cruise as oil magnate Digger Rockwell, dropped by around 60% in the movie's second weekend.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
He’s already preparing for one of his biggest opportunities: “Days of Thunder 2” with Tom Cruise slated to premiere in 2028.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Over the last decade, Cruise has resigned himself to action stardom, writing death-defying stunts into his contracts.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
Until Vanessa showed up right before the end of the period, just when—as promised—Tom Cruise gave the class a few minutes to “socialize.”
From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Passengers who paid thousands of pounds for European river cruises with Tui have described their anger after their itineraries changed to involve hours spent on coach trips instead.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Céline Dion tribute boat cruises on Seine - complete with costume contests, sing-alongs, DJ sets, are happening throughout September.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
They had been on more than 50 cruises together.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Travel agents have access to cheaper bookings and perks: They can often provide discounts on hotels, cruises and tours, or access to perks like VIP packages and upgraded rooms that aren’t available to the public.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
The bass from his stereo hits my chest as he cruises away.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
Harry Kane scored twice as England cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over the Czech Republic in the Nations League at Wembley on Tuesday.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
But Bell easily cruised to victory in this year’s primary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Although it could fly at higher altitudes, the Hindenburg typically cruised between 600 and 800 feet, low enough to leave the windows open.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Not only was Rybakina able to play, but she cruised through her opening four matches thanks to a huge service game that rarely allowed opponents to get into points.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
We cruised along in the right lane at a steady forty-five miles per.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
Its maximum speed is 140 kph, while its cruising speed is around 80 kph.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Pakistan had already lost the series in England in 2006, yet were cruising to victory in the final Test at The Oval.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Though the culture never disappeared since the heyday of cruising in the 1980s and 1990s, interest in lowriding has surged in recent years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
The third match saw Auston Kim and Rose Zhang from the US dominating Nastasia Nadaud and Leona Maguire, never slipping behind and cruising to a 3&2 win.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
As you may remember, the Wilhelm Gustloff was built not for luxury cruising of the privileged.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
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