cruising speed
noun
: the speed at which an airplane, a boat, etc., usually moves when it is traveling at a fast speed for a long distance
The boat has a cruising speed of 25 knots.
The boat handled well at cruising speed.
Examples of cruising speed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On Royal Caribbean’s official website, the cruise line says that the average cruising speed is about 18 to 20 knots (20 to 23 mph) depending on the ship and itinerary.
—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
29 June 2026
The windows must be able to withstand a bird strike at cruising speed and hold up to extreme pressure differences at high altitudes.
—
ABC News,
18 June 2026
As for propulsion, the Navetta 35 is powered by a pair of 1,400 hp MAN V-13 engines that give it a top speed of 15 knots, a cruising speed of 12 knots, and a range of up to 1,800 nautical miles.
—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
12 June 2026
The most famous of them, Shanghai’s Transrapid, covers roughly 19 miles between Pudong International Airport and Longyang Road station in eight minutes, and is capable of 268 miles per hour—though its cruising speed is capped at around 186 mph.
—
Mack Degeurin,
Popular Science,
28 May 2026
At cruising speed, the cabin measured just 63-64 dB in Stockholm commissioning trials, well below the 65-75 dB passengers typically experience on a modern ferry.
—
Omar Kardoudi
april 09,
New Atlas,
9 Apr. 2026
Volvo recommended a cruising speed of 37 mph, considerably faster than the horse-and-cart alternative.
—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
That’s an especially tall order because Forever Young has such a high cruising speed and on top of that, his smoking-hot big last-furlong runs have consistently bested the very, very best.
—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2026
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Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
29 June 2026
The windows must be able to withstand a bird strike at cruising speed and hold up to extreme pressure differences at high altitudes.
—
ABC News,
18 June 2026
As for propulsion, the Navetta 35 is powered by a pair of 1,400 hp MAN V-13 engines that give it a top speed of 15 knots, a cruising speed of 12 knots, and a range of up to 1,800 nautical miles.
—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
12 June 2026
The most famous of them, Shanghai’s Transrapid, covers roughly 19 miles between Pudong International Airport and Longyang Road station in eight minutes, and is capable of 268 miles per hour—though its cruising speed is capped at around 186 mph.
—
Mack Degeurin,
Popular Science,
28 May 2026
At cruising speed, the cabin measured just 63-64 dB in Stockholm commissioning trials, well below the 65-75 dB passengers typically experience on a modern ferry.
—
Omar Kardoudi
april 09,
New Atlas,
9 Apr. 2026
Volvo recommended a cruising speed of 37 mph, considerably faster than the horse-and-cart alternative.
—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
That’s an especially tall order because Forever Young has such a high cruising speed and on top of that, his smoking-hot big last-furlong runs have consistently bested the very, very best.
—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cruising speed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cruising%20speed. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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