/ kruːz; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
a journey by sea, visiting different places, especially as a holiday / vacation :
I'd love to go on a round-the-world cruise.
a luxury cruise ship
■ verb
1.
to travel in a ship or boat visiting different places, especially as a holiday / vacation :
[ v , usually + adv. / prep. ]
They cruised down the Nile.
[ vn ]
We spent two weeks cruising the Bahamas.
2.
[ v , usually + adv. / prep. ] ( of a car, plane, etc. ) to travel at a steady speed :
a light aircraft cruising at 4 000 feet
a cruising speed of 50 miles an hour
3.
( of a car, etc. or its driver ) to drive along slowly, especially when you are looking at or for sth :
[ v + adv. / prep. ]
She cruised around the block looking for a parking space.
[ vn ]
Taxis cruised the streets, looking for fares.
4.
[ v + adv. / prep. ] to win or achieve sth easily :
The home team cruised to victory.
5.
[ v , vn ] ( slang ) to go around in public places looking for a sexual partner
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent. (as a verb): probably from Dutch kruisen to cross, from kruis cross, from Latin crux .