VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

cruise speed

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈkruːz spiːd/
US/ˈkruːz spiːd/

Meaning

  1. nouncountable or uncountable

    The normal, efficient speed at which an aircraft, ship, or vehicle travels for most of a long journey.

    Grammar: Often used with 'at': at cruise speed. It can also be countable: a cruise speed of 900 km/h.

    Patterns

    • at cruise speed
    • a cruise speed of ...
    • reach cruise speed

    The plane climbed for ten minutes before reaching its cruise speed.

    At cruise speed, the ship uses much less fuel than during takeoff or docking.

    The new electric car has a cruise speed of about 70 miles per hour on the highway.

Word forms

pluralcruise speeds

Common combinations

at cruise speed
The aircraft flies at cruise speed for most of the trip.
reach cruise speed
It takes a few minutes for the plane to reach cruise speed.
a cruise speed of
The jet has a cruise speed of 560 mph.
maintain cruise speed
The pilot had to maintain cruise speed despite the strong winds.

Synonyms and how they differ

cruising speed
The more common everyday form; 'cruise speed' is often used in technical or formal contexts.

Word family

cruise verb
To travel at a steady, comfortable speed: The ship cruised across the ocean.
cruise noun
A holiday or journey on a ship: They went on a Caribbean cruise.
cruise control noun
A device in a car that keeps it at a steady speed: He turned on cruise control on the highway.

Commonly confused: cruise speed or cruising altitude?

cruise speed vs cruising altitude

Cruising altitude is the height at which an aircraft flies, while cruise speed is how fast it goes.

Practice

The plane finally reached its ______ of 500 miles per hour.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “cruise speed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words