minibus

American

[min-ee-buhs] / ˈmɪn iˌbʌs /

noun

a small bus, seating about 15 passengers and typically transporting people short distances.

minibus British

/ ˈmɪnɪˌbʌs /

noun

a small bus able to carry approximately ten passengers

"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

Etymology

Origin of minibus

1840–50; mini- + bus ¹; the 19th-century word, meaning “small carriage,” perhaps mini(mum) + (omni)bus

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

More than 5,000km away a makeshift parade of 30 motorcycles and a minibus will be travelling through the Ghanaian village of Juaben.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

A survey by the union found one in four teachers had been pressured into driving a minibus.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

The inside of their spacecraft is about the size of a minibus, and it's where the four will live, eat, work and sleep during the 10-day mission.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

A minute's silence was observed before kick-off in memory of the seven Greek fans killed in a minibus accident in Romania.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

We loaded everything up in a minibus and brought it over to Alex.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023