bus

1
[ buhs ]
See synonyms for bus on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural bus·es, bus·ses.
  1. a large motor vehicle, having a long body, equipped with seats or benches for passengers, usually operating as part of a scheduled service; omnibus.

  2. (formerly) a similar horse-drawn vehicle.

  1. a passenger automobile or airplane used in a manner resembling that of a bus.

  2. any vehicle operated to transport children to school.

  3. a low, movable filing cabinet.

  4. Electricity.Also called bus bar, bus·bar [buhs-bahr]. /ˈbʌsˌbɑr/. a heavy conductor, often made of copper in the shape of a bar, used to collect, carry, and distribute powerful electric currents, as those produced by generators.

  5. Computers. a circuit that connects the CPU with other devices in a computer.

verb (used with object),bused or bussed, bus·ing or bus·sing.
  1. to convey or transport by bus: to bus the tourists to another hotel.

  2. to transport (pupils) to school by bus, especially as a means of achieving socioeconomic or racial diversity among students in a public school.

verb (used without object),bused or bussed, bus·ing or bus·sing.
  1. to travel on or by means of a bus: We bused to New York on a theater trip.

Idioms about bus

  1. throw (someone or something) under the bus, Informal. to abandon or sacrifice to an imminent negative outcome for expedience or profit, or to protect oneself and one's interests: The accused was asked to testify against Tony, but he refused to save himself by throwing his pal under the bus.

Origin of bus

1
First recorded in 1825–35; short for omnibus; def. 6 short for omnibus bar

Words that may be confused with bus

Other definitions for bus (2 of 3)

bus2
[ buhs ]

verb (used with or without object),bused or bussed, bus·ing or bus·sing.
  1. to work or act as a busboy or busgirl: She bused for her meals during her student days.

Origin of bus

2
First recorded in 1830–40; back formation from busboy

Other definitions for bus. (3 of 3)

bus.

abbreviation
  1. business.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bus in a sentence

  • There were two large auto-stages in waiting, and Ruth and Helen followed the crowd of girls briskly getting aboard the buses.

    Ruth Fielding At College | Alice B. Emerson
  • Ling Chu on the contrary had a penchant for buses and seemed to enjoy them.

    The Daffodil Mystery | Edgar Wallace
  • They set out without further delay and proceeded by a succession of buses to the Strand.

    Mrs. Vanderstein's jewels | Mrs. Charles Bryce
  • The horse-drawn buses ranged along the curb were reserved for the foresighted and privileged few.

    A Traveller in War-Time | Winston Churchill
  • The rain had ceased, but it was wet underfoot, and the motor buses plashed foot passengers from head to foot with liquid mud.

    The Sign of Silence | William Le Queux

British Dictionary definitions for bus

bus

/ (bʌs) /


nounplural buses or busses
  1. a large motor vehicle designed to carry passengers between stopping places along a regular route: More formal name: omnibus Sometimes called: motorbus

  2. short for trolleybus

  1. (modifier) of or relating to a bus or buses: a bus driver; a bus station

  2. informal a car or aircraft, esp one that is old and shaky

  3. electronics computing short for busbar

  4. the part of a MIRV missile payload containing the re-entry vehicles and guidance and thrust devices

  5. astronautics a platform in a space vehicle used for various experiments and processes

  6. miss the bus to miss an opportunity; be too late

verbbuses, busing, bused, busses, bussing or bussed
  1. to travel or transport by bus

  2. mainly US and Canadian to transport (children) by bus from one area to a school in another in order to create racially integrated classes

Origin of bus

1
C19: short for omnibus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012