cruise control

American

noun

a system, available for some automobiles, motorcycles, etc., that automatically maintains a vehicle's speed by taking control of the accelerator.

cruise control British

noun

a system in a road vehicle that automatically maintains a selected speed until cancelled

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Many have sought to proceed in steps; they’ve rolled out automating braking, advanced cruise control and, for some, hands-free driving.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

The Polish second seed was in cruise control against the Czech player as the sun went down at John Cain Arena, sprinting to the finish 6-2, 6-3 in front of a vocal group of fans.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

It includes some of our must-have tech, such as automatic emergency braking and steering, adaptive cruise control with lane centering, and automatic high beams.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 26, 2025

This time, it was Nestor Cortes who was in cruise control, spinning six scoreless innings while retiring his first 16 batters.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 23, 2025

They were heading along what looked like an interstate highway, with the cruise control set to an even sixty-five.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023