Crews and cruise are two commonly confused words that are pronounced in the same way when spoken aloud but are spelled differently and mean different things, which makes them homophones. We will examine the definitions of the two homophonic words crews and cruise, where they came from and some examples of their use in sentences.
Crews is the plural form of the word crew, which means a group of people working together on an airplane or ship, or any group of people who work together closely. Crew is also a verb that means to act as a member of a working crew. The word crew is derived from the Old French word creue, which referred to a group of soldiers. Related words are crew, crewed, crewing.
A cruise is a vacation trip taken on a ship. Cruise is also used as a verb to mean to sail on a ship, to take a vacation on a ship, to walk about in a casual manner, or to look for a casual sexual partner. The word cruise is derived from the Dutch word kruisen which means to sail back and forth. Related words are cruises, cruised, cruising, cruiser.
Examples
The proposal had been stalled by the Office of Management and Budget under Obama, and by top Department of Transportation officials, who said there was no evidence that two-member crews made trains safer. (The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
Crews will remain busy throughout the evening and into the coming days as they respond to reported fires. (The Blue Mountain Eagle)
The woman was a passenger aboard the Island Princess cruise ship, which was sailing near Bligh Island in the Prince William Sound at the time of the emergency. (Newsweek Magazine)
Cruise downtown Duncan with the local community in the summer’s first car cruise starting at 6 p.m. Friday, June 14, 2019, from 12th Street to 7th Street on Walnut Avenue and Main Street. (The Duncan Banner)
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