What does cruise mean?
Cruise refers most familiarly to a holiday spent aboard a ship, traveling from port to port for pleasure rather than as a means of transport. The word also functions as a verb: vehicles cruise when they move along smoothly at a constant speed, people cruise a neighborhood when they drive through it slowly and casually, and aircraft cruise at their most fuel-efficient pace once airborne. Derived forms include cruiser (a type of warship, a passenger vessel, or a police car) and cruising (the activity itself). The tone of the word is relaxed — it suggests ease, patience, and the absence of urgency, which is why phrases like cruise control and cruising along feel natural. Historically, the term entered English from Dutch kruisen, meaning to cross or sail back and forth, so at its heart lies the idea of criss-crossing waters rather than racing across them.
A sea voyage for pleasure, typically visiting a series of destinations; also an instance of moving smoothly and steadily at a moderate speed.
"Their Alaskan cruise included stops at Juneau and Ketchikan."
Plural: cruises. Commonly used with modifiers indicating region or theme (e.g., 'a Mediterranean cruise').
To sail or travel about slowly and casually, or to move at a steady, economical speed; also to search an area in a leisurely way.
"The taxi cruised the streets looking for fares."
In informal usage, can mean to seek out a sexual partner in public spaces.
Standard plural used for both the vacation sense and the act-of-travelling sense.
"The company offers river cruises throughout Europe."
Cruise comes from the same Dutch root as the word 'cross' — the original cruisers were ships that 'crossed' back and forth on patrol rather than sailing straight to a destination.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cruise
Cruise entered English in the mid-17th century from the Dutch verb kruisen, meaning 'to cross', itself derived from kruis, meaning 'cross'. The original sense referred to a ship patrolling by sailing back and forth over an area rather than heading directly to one destination. This gives cruise the same distant Germanic root as the English words cross, crux-related borrowings such as crusade, and other cross-derived terms. Over time the military sense of patrolling softened into today's dominant meaning of leisurely pleasure voyaging.
Related word forms
How cruise is actually used
The verb sense relating to searching for a partner, especially in LGBTQ contexts, is well established but informal. The word carries broadly positive connotations of ease, leisure, and effortlessness.
Easily confused with cruise
A bruise is an injury causing skin discoloration, while a cruise is a sea voyage or a steady, unhurried journey.