colectivo

American  

[koh-lek-tee-voh, kaw-lek-tee-vaw] / ˌkoʊ lɛkˈti voʊ, ˌkɔ lɛkˈti vɔ /

noun

colectivos plural

1. a small public bus.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• colectivos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of colectivo

First recorded in 1935–40; from Latin American Spanish: “public bus,” i.e., a vehicle used collectively; special use of Spanish: “collective,” from Latin collēctīvus collective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

colectivo colectivos

Relaxing in the sun outside another colectivo, Radio23, in a white hoodie and wide Prada-labeled sunglasses, Glen Martinez is another well-known figure locally.

From Reuters ● Aug. 15, 2012

And she must deal with Diosdado Cabello, the interior minister in charge of weapons, military counter intelligence and the paramilitary known as the colectivos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

“The inner circle, the military generals, the colectivos, the governors, the mayors — they’re all there.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2026

She knelt in front of the first officer she saw, told him she’d fled the colectivos, and pleaded for a chance to seek asylum.

From Slate ● Jan. 15, 2026

But Papandreou says minivans and their minibus bigger brothers — better known around the world as colectivos, matatus or Jeepneys — are already cheap and ubiquitous, even in their “non-automated, nonelectric, not networked” form.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 27, 2018

Local media said the La Piedrita boss addressed residents by loudspeakers set up on roofs, calling on other colectivos in the neighborhood to come to his defense.

From Reuters ● Aug. 15, 2012