cruising

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)Sailing about without an exact destination, especially for pleasure.

   “Cruising is a popular activity among the over-60s.”

   “Maintenance time takes away from the time for sightseeing, fishing, reading, or the other things that were the original objectives of cruising.”

2. (countable, uncountable)Driving around without an exact destination, as a social activity.

   “Cruising was a popular pasttime for teens in this area at the time.”

3. (countable, uncountable)Walking unsteadily while holding onto objects such as furniture and walls: a stage in the development of ambulation (unassisted walking), typically occurring around age 10 months.

   “Cruising is a fun stage for the baby, even though there are going to be some mild falls and crying during the course of it.”

4. (countable, slang, uncountable)Walking or driving about a locality in search of a sex partner for casual sex, especially among gay men.

   “There was a fair amount of cruising going on at the gay party.”

   “Within their [homosexuals'] own group, too, there is considerable social discrimination. In the most “respectable” class are those who do no “cruising,” i.e., picking up “friends” at random in the parks or streets.”

   “The press screamed headlines about castrating perverts, but the parks and cruising places remained as populous as ever. And with good cause.”

   “For example, when a homosexual goes cruising, he runs the risk of being arrested, blackmailed or beaten up. Therefore, [Bergler concludes] homosexuals want to be hurt, humiliated, defeated and destroyed; they are all psychic masochists.”

   “But even so, the gay boys who are out cruising aren’t being especially cautious. They’ve even made a pickup gambit out of it. “If that bulge in your pants isn’t a knife, let’s go for a walk.” That sort of thing.”

5. (countable, slang, uncountable)Reducing the dosage of PEDs instead of cycling them off.

verb

1. (countable, form-of, gerund, participle, present, uncountable)present participle and gerund of cruise