cruise

krooz /kruːz/
nounverbB1
neutral

A voyage on a ship or boat taken for pleasure or as a holiday, usually calling at several places.

Implies a leisurely pace, comfort, and multiple stops, rather than direct transit or cargo shipping.

The story behind the word. The word comes from the Dutch 'kruisen', meaning to cross or sail to and fro, which itself comes from 'kruis' (cross). It originally referred to sailing across the wind or crossing the sea in various directions.

Word relationships

  • voyage: A voyage is a long journey, often historic or serious, while a cruise is specifically for leisure and recreation.
  • sail: To sail is the act of navigating a boat, whereas a cruise is the entire holiday package on a ship.

Commonly confused with

  • crews: Crews refers to groups of workers, while cruise is a leisure journey.

Word family

  • cruiser (noun): A large, fast warship or a motorboat designed for pleasure.

Collocations

  • luxury cruise
  • cruise ship
  • cruise control
  • go on a cruise

Example sentences

  • "They spent their summer vacation on a luxury cruise around the Mediterranean." Planning a vacation
  • "The driver decided to cruise down the highway at a comfortable speed." Describing driving behavior

Memory hook

Cruising is like crossing the ocean with a crew that makes it easy. Cruise is a leisurely crossing of the sea.

When not to use

Do not use for fast, direct, or purely functional water transit.

Fun facts

  • The world's largest cruise ships are longer than three football fields and can carry over 7,000 passengers.

Related words

vessel, voyage, ferry

LangBlitz
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz

Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.