# cruising

Pronunciation: say "KROO-zing" /ˈkɹuːzɪŋ/

## Noun

1. The pastime of driving around an area with no particular destination, done socially for enjoyment.
   - Simple: Driving around in a car for fun, with no real place you need to go.
   - _Cruising the boulevard on Saturday nights was a teenage ritual in the 1970s._
   - _The town banned cruising downtown to cut down on traffic and noise._
2. The pastime of sailing around in a boat for pleasure, without a set destination.
   - Simple: Sailing a boat around for fun, with no fixed place to go.
   - _Cruising under sail gave them a slower, quieter trip than motoring would._
   - _Weekend cruising on the lake is popular among the local boat owners._
4. The practice of walking or driving around an area in search of a partner for casual sex, especially among gay men. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Going around an area, on foot or by car, to look for a stranger for casual sex.
   - _For decades, the waterfront was a well-known site for cruising._
   - _He wrote about cruising in the city's parks during the 1970s._
5. A stage in learning to walk in which a baby steps along while holding onto furniture or walls, usually around ten months.
   - Simple: Walking while holding onto furniture or walls, which babies do before they can walk alone.
   - _Cruising usually appears a month or two before a baby takes independent steps._
   - _The pediatrician noted that the baby's cruising was right on schedule._
6. The practice of lowering the dose of performance-enhancing drugs rather than stopping them entirely between cycles. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Taking a smaller dose of muscle-building drugs instead of stopping them completely.
   - _Cruising lets users keep their gains while giving the body a partial rest._
   - _He alternated heavy cycles with periods of cruising on a low dose._

## Verb

3. Present participle of cruise. — present participle and gerund of cruise
   - Simple: Present participle of cruise. Use this form for something happening right now or as an ongoing action.
   - _The jet was cruising at thirty thousand feet when the announcement came._
   - _By midnight the taxi was still cruising for fares downtown._

## Origin

Formed from the verb "cruise" plus the suffix "-ing".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cruising (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).