cruise control

noun

A system that maintains a vehicle at constant set speed, usually until the brake or accelerator is pressed.

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Meanings

nouncruise control (countable and uncountable, plural cruise controls)

plural cruise controls

  1. countableuncountableA system that maintains a vehicle at constant set speed, usually until the brake or accelerator is pressed.

    The crash-involved truck driver had activated the vehicle’s traditional cruise control, which is only able to maintain a set speed and does not reduce that speed based on vehicles ahead.

    2024, NTSB, Highway Investigation Report, HIR-24-05
  2. countablefigurativelyuncountableA state of being where tasks are completed easily and routinely.

    He seemed happy living life in cruise control, which pissed me off.

    2012, Gavin McInnes, The Death of Cool: From Teenage Rebellion to the Hangover of Adulthood, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 88
    2 more examples

    Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina was badly at fault as Ramires scored at the near post after 11 minutes and Chelsea looked in cruise control when Drogba continued his love affair with the FA Cup final and Wembley with an angled finish beyond Reina.

    2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport

    Caps Lock is cruise control for cool; remember that for online conversations.

    2013, Chris Kluwe, Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 巡航定速, 速度控制
  • 巡航定速 (xúnháng dìngsù)system
  • 速度控制 (sùdù kòngzhì)system
  • 自動巡航 /自动巡航 (zìdòng xúnháng)system
Dutch cruisecontrol
  • cruisecontrolsystem
Finnish vakionopeudensäädin
  • vakionopeudensäädinsystem
French régulateur de vitesse
  • régulateur de vitessesystem
German Tempomat, Geschwindigkeitsregelanlage
  • Tempomatsystem
  • Geschwindigkeitsregelanlagesystem
Hebrew בַּקָּרַת שִׁיּוּט
  • בַּקָּרַת שִׁיּוּט (bakarát shiyút)system
Hungarian sebességtartó automatika, tempomat
  • sebességtartó automatikasystem
  • tempomatsystem
Italian cruise control, regolatore di velocità
  • cruise controlsystem
  • regolatore di velocitàsystem
Japanese クルーズコントロール
  • クルーズコントロール (kurūzukontorōru)system
Korean 크루즈 컨트롤
  • 크루즈 컨트롤 (keurujeu keonteurol)system
Polish tempomat
  • tempomatsystem
Russian круи́з-контро́ль
  • круи́з-контро́ль (kruíz-kontrólʹ)system
Ukrainian круї́з-контро́ль
  • круї́з-контро́ль (krujíz-kontrólʹ)system
Cite this entry
APA

cruise control. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cruise%20control

MLA

“cruise control.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cruise%20control. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cruise control,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cruise%20control.

Source: cruise control on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.