To cruise is to travel smoothly at a steady speed, often for pleasure, especially by ship or car. As a noun, a cruise is a holiday trip on a ship that stops at different places.
From Dutch *kruisen* “to cross, to sail to and fro,” used for ships moving around an area. English turned it into *cruise* for traveling in a relaxed or exploratory way.
‘Cruise control’ in cars captures the word’s feeling perfectly: steady, smooth, no sudden effort. In slang, to ‘cruise through’ something means you barely had to struggle—just gliding while others might be paddling hard.
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