cruiser

[ kroo-zer ]

/ ˈkru zər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cruiser ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that cruises.

one of a class of warships of medium tonnage, designed for high speed and long cruising radius.

squad car.

a vessel, especially a power-driven one, intended for cruising.

cabin cruiser.

Also called timber cruiser. a person who estimates the value of the timber in a tract of forest.

Slang. a prostitute who walks the street soliciting customers.

Nearby words

Origin of cruiser

1670–80; < Dutch kruiser, equivalent to kruis(en) to cruise + -er -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cruiser

A cruiser shows up and eyes narrow and citizens often withdraw.
The Wildly Peaceful, Human, Almost Boring, Ultimately Great New York City Protests for Eric Garner|Mike Barnicle|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With lights flashing, the cruiser arrived at the Blooming Grove State Police barracks in Pike County.
Killer Eric Frein Held in Murdered Cop’s Cuffs|Michael Daly|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The USS Arleigh Burke, a destroyer, and USS Philippine Sea, a cruiser, launched a total of 47 Tomahawk missiles.
$70 Billion Stealth Jet Finally Flies in Its First War|Dave Majumdar|September 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Churchill then decided to embark on a British cruiser, the Belfast, and watch the landings from offshore.
D-Day Historian Craig Symonds Talks About History’s Most Amazing Invasion|Marc Wortman|June 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The goal is $50,000, which is the value of his 22-foot Seahawk cruiser.
Let's Fix David Henneberry's Boat|Ilana Glazer|April 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The naval officer was there because the hour of the midday meal on board the cruiser did not coincide with lunch time on shore.
A Rock in the Baltic|Robert Barr
Only the coming of a Gern cruiser could ever offer them the bloody, violent opportunity to regain their freedom.
Space Prison|Tom Godwin
Before the whaler got back, an enemy's cruiser came up and chased the Defender, which thus had to abandon its small boat.
America's War for Humanity|Thomas Herbert Russell
Slightly to one side, the sleek line of a British cruiser was visible, and beyond it a trio of lean, wolfish destroyers.
The Caves of Fear|John Blaine
If a cruiser berths here shortly, I don't propose to be under its tail flames when it sets down.
Storm Over Warlock|Andre Norton

British Dictionary definitions for cruiser

cruiser

/ (ˈkruːzə) /

noun

a high-speed, long-range warship of medium displacement, armed with medium calibre weapons or missiles

Also called: cabin cruiser a pleasure boat, esp one that is power-driven and has a cabin

any person or thing that cruises

boxing cruiserweightSee light heavyweight

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

Word Origin and History for cruiser

cruiser

1670s, agent noun from cruise (v.), or, probably, borrowed from similar words in neighboring languages (e.g. Dutch kruiser, French croiseur), originally a warship built to cruise and protect commerce or chase hostile ships (but in 18c. often applied to privateers); meaning "one who cruises for sex partners" is from 1903, in later use mostly of homosexuals; as a boxing weight class, from 1920; meaning "police patrol car" is 1929, American English.

cruiser

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of cruiser

Examples from the Web for cruiser

cruiser

noun

cruiser