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• bus
  bus

  noun

  a large motor vehicle, having a long body, equipped with seats or benches for passengers, usually operating as part of a scheduled service; omnibus.
• bus.
  bus.

  abbreviation

  business.

bus

¹ American  

[buhs] / bʌs /

noun

• buses,
  plural
• busses
  plural

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.

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

4. any vehicle operated to transport children to school.

5. a low, movable filing cabinet.

6. Also called busbar, bus bar. Electricity. 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.

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

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verb (used with object)

bused, bussed, busing, bussing

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, bussed, busing, bussing

1. to travel on or by means of a bus.

   We bused to New York on a theater trip.

idioms

1. throw (someone or something) under the bus, 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.

bus ² American  

[buhs] / bʌs /

verb (used with or without object)

bused, bussed, busing, bussing

1. to work or act as a busboy or busgirl.

   She bused for her meals during her student days.

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bus. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. business.

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bus British  

/ bʌs /

noun

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

2. short for trolleybus

3. (modifier) of or relating to a bus or buses

   a bus driver

   a bus station

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

5. electronics computing short for busbar

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

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

8. to miss an opportunity; be too late

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verb

1. to travel or transport by bus

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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• buses
  plural
• busses
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bus¹

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

Origin of bus²

First recorded in 1830–40; back formation from busboy

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Explanation

A bus is a long vehicle with many seats. An elementary school student might save a seat on the school bus each morning for her best friend. A city bus carries far more passengers than a private car, which makes it an efficient form of transportation. When bus is used as a verb, it means to transport by bus, sometimes in an effort to desegregate a school district: "The city will bus students from this neighborhood to the other side of town." It also means "to clear a table" in restaurant lingo, which is often done by a "bus boy" or a "busser."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bus bus. buses busses bused busing bussed bussing

Rome is one of those airports where you take a bus to passport control and baggage claim, at least on certain airlines including American.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

The council will award a new contract to Bauer Media Outdoor UK to manage the city's bus stops.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

On the bus back to the city, it became apparent that an employee visiting from Hong Kong was likely suffering from heatstroke.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Foreman grew up in South L.A., in a beige house off of Century Boulevard and Western Avenue, and used to take the bus to Holley Park to play baseball with his friends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

I glanced over at Regan, but her hands were balled into tight fists at her sides, her eyes squeezed shut as though she was waiting for a bus to hit her.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

"There were no other vehicles involved -- only the bus. And that bus caught fire... we are currently trying to determine the precise reason why this happened," Papaux told reporters.

From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026

“There’s a stigma attached to riding the bus. Going to microtransit and nontraditional vehicles removed that stigma.”

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2023

"I noticed her getting nervous about getting the bus. Then at night she started to cry," she said.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2023

“If he owns the bus. If he owns it. If he owns the bus, Iyanla,” Williams replied after a moment of hesitation.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2023

“On the bus. You going to see your daddy?”

From "The Honest Truth" by Dan Gemeinhart

A stretch of London's iconic Oxford Street was made traffic-free "forever" starting Monday, as pedestrians took over the country's most famous shopping street, absent of the capital's red double-decker buses and black cabs.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

In Kashgar, middle-aged Chinese men in cowboy hats descend from tour buses to chow down on grilled lamb skewers and pilaf.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Now, Hargrave relies on Chicago’s public buses and trains with a $75 monthly pass, and spends less than $200 a month on Ubers.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

While Bass’ campaign website references infrastructure improvements around streets, sidewalks and crosswalks under her reasons for running and her list of accomplishments, there’s been no mention of rail, buses or public transit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

When they started calling buses, and Jeff went into the hall to his locker along with some other kids, Mrs. Tracy called me up to her desk.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

After graduating from college, Batter moves to New York, where he folds shirts at the Gap and busses tables at a restaurant named Just Okay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Long before cars were common and busses were running, residents still got around on the backs of their horse carts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Before long, her Instagram page was filled with photos from Wimbledon and double-decker busses.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

“What moderates are worried about is not just the ideas that he has run on like free busses and, you know, grocery stores, that kind of thing,” Bennett said.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2025

The vet and Crenshaw prepared to change busses at the next stop, and upon leaving, the vet placed his hand upon my shoulder and looked at me with kindness, and, as always, he smiled.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

Others have bused to airports in Bahrain and Qatar to both exit and enter the kingdom.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

In August 2024, Novo Nordisk bused its employees to the sprawling Roskilde fairgrounds outside Copenhagen for its annual summer party.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

After evacuating the plane, the passengers were bused back to the terminal as emergency crews responded to the scene, DIA said.

From BBC ● May 9, 2026

But by far the largest number of third-country deportees are being quietly sent to Mexico, where they are quickly bused to smaller cities thousands of miles south of the U.S. border.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2026

Kids were bused in from way up in the hollows and from coal camps such as Davy and Hemphill that were too small to have their own high school.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Near Methuen in the Merrimack Valley, Dracut Public Schools are considering closing an elementary school that has shrunk to 210 students from almost 300, eliminating busing for some grades and reducing full-day kindergarten to half.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

More than a year before the 2024 Games in Paris, the government began busing thousands of homeless people — many of them immigrants — to places such as Lyon and Marseille.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

“Sound of Freedom” had church groups busing to theaters to watch the movie in hordes.

From Salon ● May 3, 2026

Working long hours doing a bit of everything—right down to busing tables—Meyer ate one at the end of almost every lunch shift.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025

Diners were everywhere, and so were jobs making deliveries, washing dishes, or busing tables.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

The Pakistan team were bussed to the wrong arena for their game with Uzbekistan the same day, delaying the start of their match by 45 minutes.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

So, I would spend summers being bussed out or sleeping out at cousins and grandparents and aunts and uncles’ houses to work on the farm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

Instead, they were taken by military plane directly to Panama, did not go through customs upon arrival and were immediately detained in the hotel until they were bussed to the camp.

From Salon ● Mar. 3, 2025

Schiff was a familiar face to many of the volunteers, who had been bussed in from California by labor unions to knock on doors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2024

My parents were about to exchange their brief Christmas kiss, the only time they bussed in front of us, when Mother remembered the presence of the minister and ducked her head in embarrassment.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

At times, Kansteiner says, she’ll find Velador in the dining room bussing tables to help because she knows the restaurant’s staff is overwhelmed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2025

Under US diplomatic pressure, Mexico has been conducting its largest ever migrant crackdown, bussing and flying non-Mexican migrants to the country’s south, far from the US border.

From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2024

And there's a guy bussing the table, like a late 30s guy.

From Salon ● May 18, 2024

Other cities that have received immigrants through bussing include Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia and Washington.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 20, 2023

I even like bussing tables in the restaurant, chatting with guests when I have a chance, and swapping stories with my coworkers.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

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