cruise
verb (used without object)
to sail about on a pleasure trip.
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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.
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to sail about, as a warship patrolling a body of water.
-
to travel about without a particular purpose or destination.
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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.
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to travel about slowly, looking for customers or for something demanding attention.
Taxis and police cars cruise in the downtown area.
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to go or travel (often followed byover ).
Let's cruise over to my house after the concert.
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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.
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Informal.
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to move slowly through or visit (a street, park, bar, etc.) in search of a sexual partner.
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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
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to sail or travel over (a body of water) for pleasure in a yacht, cruiser, etc
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(intr) to search for enemy vessels in a warship
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(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:
Strong earnings reports from cruise lines came despite investor concerns over high energy prices and low European river levels.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
Lennon, a founding member of comedy troupe the State and creator of the cult comedy series “Reno 911!,” is a secret weapon, a cruise missile of targeted timing and hilarious asides.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
The Su‑35, he noted, is equipped for both air‑to‑air and air‑to‑ground combat, with the ability to detect and neutralize incoming cruise missiles at distances of up to 200 kilometers.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
For as little as $100,000, passengers on the Odyssey, a 642-foot cruise ship, bought cabins and embarked on what they expected to be a yearslong voyage around the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The loss of food has also struck hard at the swallows that cruise the skies, straining out the aerial insects as herring strain the plankton of the sea.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
I wouldn’t count it out yet, and John Goodman’s ferocious president goes toe-to-toe with Tom Cruise in every scene.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
As Commander Mike "Viper" Metcalf in the 1986 classic Top Gun, the versatile actor appeared alongside a young Tom Cruise in the blockbuster.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
He also shared the screen with Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in “Top Gun” as Vietnam veteran and Navy Cmdr.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
“We are expecting Super Cruise penetration in our truck portfolio to grow 4-5x next year,” Barra says in a letter to shareholders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Cruise nights at a drive-in restaurant in the next town sometimes had a Cobra, too.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
But allow me to be the boring, sober voice of reason: There’s a vast ocean of cruises between living frugally and rolling out the proverbial red carpet every time you step outside your front door.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Meanwhile, the increase in Google searches for all-inclusive resorts has significantly outpaced the rise in searches for hotels and cruises, particularly this year, they noted.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 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
Kathleen, a 70-year-old widow who lives in Illinois, says going on the cruises will take the widower out of his bubble and help take his mind off his grief.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
I can imagine the scene now: Mrs. Walton cruises into the projects in her fancy pastel-blue Chevrolet Celebrity with chrome rims.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
Angel City cruised to a 3-0 road victory over a shorthanded Utah team that received two red cards in the first half.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 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
Paul goes on to face Kazakh 15th seed Alexander Bublik, who cruised past French veteran Adrian Mannarino in a 6-3 6-1 6-1 win.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
England's new era started with a dominant six-wicket win over Ireland as they cruised to their record chase of 282 in the first one-day international.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Back and forth I cruised in the night beyond the lights.
From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
When you are cruising the Mediterranean with friends, I also want you to have peace of mind.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
The trick with thrusters was evocative of what SpaceX has now been doing for years with booster rockets cruising back to earth, touching down in landing pads or being snared by launch towers.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026
Its maximum speed is 140 kph, while its cruising speed is around 80 kph.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
In recent years, Airbus developed plans to allow aircraft to rely on a single pilot at cruising altitude so other pilots could rest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Our Subaru seems out of place next to all the hulking SUVs and Mercedes and Tesla electric vehicles cruising up the main drive.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
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