Cruiser: A Warship, a Motorcycle, and a Boat for Pleasure
A cruiser is a large warship faster than a battleship, a pleasure boat, or a motorcycle built for relaxed riding. All three share the idea of travelling steadily.
A cruiser travels steadily rather than urgently. That is the thread between a naval cruiser patrolling alone, a cabin cruiser on a canal and a low-slung motorcycle: none of them is built for a sprint.
- A warship. *A heavy cruiser of the interwar period.*
- A pleasure boat. *A cabin cruiser on the river.*
- A relaxed motorcycle. *He rides a cruiser.*
- A police car (American informal). *A patrol cruiser.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | cruiser | A guided missile cruiser. |
| Verb | cruise | Cruise at 30 knots. |
| Noun | cruise | A Mediterranean cruise. |
| Compound | cruising speed | Its cruising speed is 500 mph. |
| Compound | cruiserweight | A cruiserweight bout. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The cruiser escorted the convoy.Naval usage.
- They bought a small cabin cruiser.A boat with sleeping accommodation.
- The team cruised to a five-nil win.Won easily, without straining.
Warships by size
- Battleship — the heaviest gun platform, now obsolete
- Cruiser — large, long-ranged, able to operate independently
- Destroyer — smaller and faster, originally built to attack torpedo boats
- Frigate — smaller again, usually for escort duties
- Corvette — the smallest ocean-going warship class
From Dutch *kruisen*, to cross or sail to and fro, from the same root as *cross*. A cruiser was originally any ship sailing back and forth on patrol rather than heading anywhere in particular.
Cruiser or yacht?
A cruiser is a motor boat with accommodation. Yacht suggests sail, or a considerably more expensive motor vessel.
What is cruising speed?
The speed at which a vehicle runs most efficiently over distance, below its maximum.