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• cruise
  cruise

  verb (used without object)

  to sail about on a pleasure trip.
• Cruise
  Cruise

  noun

  Tom Thomas Cruise Mapother, 4th, born 1962, U.S. film actor.

cruise

¹ American  

[krooz] / kruz /

verb (used without object)

• cruises,
  present (3rd person singular)
• cruised,
  past participle,  past
• cruising
  present participle

1. to sail about on a pleasure trip.

2. to sail about, as a warship patrolling a body of water.

3. to travel about without a particular purpose or destination.

4. to fly, drive, or sail at a constant speed that permits maximum operating efficiency for sustained travel.

5. to travel at a moderately fast, easily controllable speed.

   cruising along the highway enjoying the scenery.

6. to travel about slowly, looking for customers or for something demanding attention.

   Taxis and police cars cruise in the downtown area.

7. to go or travel (often followed byover ).

   Let's cruise over to my house after the concert.

8. Informal. to go about on the streets or in public areas in search of a sexual partner.

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verb (used with object)

• cruises,
  present (3rd person singular)
• cruised,
  past participle,  past
• cruising
  present participle

1. to cruise in (a specified area).

   patrol cars cruising the neighborhood; to cruise the Caribbean.

2. Informal.

   1. to move slowly through or visit (a street, park, bar, etc.) in search of a sexual partner.

   2. to make sexual overtures to; attempt to arouse the sexual interest of.

3. to inspect (a tract of forest) for the purpose of estimating lumber potential.

noun

• cruises
  plural

1. the act of cruising.

2. a pleasure voyage on a ship, usually with stops at various ports.

Cruise ² American  

[krooz] / kruz /

noun

1. Tom Thomas Cruise Mapother, 4th, born 1962, U.S. film actor.

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cruise ¹ British  

/ kruːz /

verb

1. (intr) to make a trip by sea in a liner for pleasure, usually calling at a number of ports

2. to sail or travel over (a body of water) for pleasure in a yacht, cruiser, etc

3. (intr) to search for enemy vessels in a warship

4. (intr) (of a vehicle, aircraft, or vessel) to travel at a moderate and efficient speed

5. informal (intr) to search the streets or other public places for a sexual partner

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noun

1. an act or instance of cruising, esp a trip by sea

Cruise ² British  

/ kruːz /

noun

1. Tom. original name Thomas Cruise Mapother. born 1962, US film actor; his films include Risky Business (1983), Top Gun (1986), Jerry Maguire (1989), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), War of the Worlds (2005), and Valkyrie (2008)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cruisingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cruises
  plural

Participles

• cruising
  present
• cruised
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• cruise
  simple
• cruises
  simple
• have cruised
  perfect
• has cruised
  perfect
• am cruising
  progressive
• are cruising
  progressive
• is cruising
  progressive
• have been cruising
  perfect progressive
• has been cruising
  perfect progressive

Past

• cruised
  simple
• had cruised
  perfect
• was cruising
  progressive
• were cruising
  progressive
• had been cruising
  perfect progressive

Future

• will cruise
  simple
• will have cruised
  perfect
• will be cruising
  progressive
• will have been cruising
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of cruise

1645–55; < Dutch kruisen to cross, cruise, derivative of kruis cross

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cruise Cruise cruises cruised cruising

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

The Houthis claimed responsibility and said they had used cruise missiles to target the airport.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Grandma could use her stock proceeds to take a cruise, but she makes 529 contributions instead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 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

I watched them cruise in and around the cove in the Whaler, with Vern wrapped in a blanket as if he had already fallen in.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

If Cruise wins his first competitive Oscar, that also would be seen as a plus for the film.

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

Hoisting that golden trophy for his acting is one of the only Hollywood milestones that Cruise has yet to achieve.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Over the last decade, Cruise has resigned himself to action stardom, writing death-defying stunts into his contracts.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

“If Officer Cruise were sitting here,” Mrs. Carey says, “what would you say to him?”

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

Céline Dion tribute boat cruises on Seine - complete with costume contests, sing-alongs, DJ sets, are happening throughout September.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Floridian Karl Bauknight lost his wife six years ago and has been on several cruises since, where most of the travelers have been couples.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 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

By July, low river levels due to the heatwave were severely affecting European cruises.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Then this bus that looks like a house on wheels cruises down the block and comes to a halt in front of us.

From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles

Leo cruised down the famous boulevard on the popemobile before celebrating an open-air Mass in the Place de la Concorde, a historic first.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

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

Derrick Henry also scored twice before half-time to move into third on the all-time list for rushing touchdowns, then added another as the Ravens cruised to a 41-23 win.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 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

Ice drove me on home and I watched as he cruised away.

From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers

Its maximum speed is 140 kph, while its cruising speed is around 80 kph.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

“But the threat across the border right now gives us some time to reach our cruising speed.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 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

One of these automobiles could come cruising into her life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

But suddenly, I could feel my brain getting up to cruising speed faster than it had ever done at six A. M., and it wasn’t because of anything Mama and Daddy were saying or doing.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

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