shuttle

American  

[shuht-l] / ˈʃʌt l /

noun

1. a device in a loom for passing or shooting the weft thread through the shed from one side of the web to the other, usually consisting of a boat-shaped piece of wood containing a bobbin on which the weft thread is wound.

2. the sliding container that carries the lower thread in a sewing machine.

3. a public conveyance, as a train, airplane, or bus, that travels back and forth at regular intervals over a particular route, especially a short route or one connecting two transportation systems.

4. shuttlecock.

5. (often initial capital letter) space shuttle.

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verb (used with object)

shuttled, shuttling

1. to cause (someone or something) to move to and fro or back and forth by or as if by a shuttle.

   They shuttled me all over the seventh floor.

verb (used without object)

shuttled, shuttling

1. to move to and fro.

   constantly shuttling between city and suburb.

shuttle British  

/ ˈʃʌtəl /

noun

1. a bobbin-like device used in weaving for passing the weft thread between the warp threads

2. a small bobbin-like device used to hold the thread in a sewing machine or in tatting, knitting, etc

3. 1. a bus, train, aircraft, etc, that plies between two points, esp one that offers a frequent service over a short route

   2. short for space shuttle

4. 1. the movement between various countries of a diplomat in order to negotiate with rulers who refuse to meet each other

   2. ( as modifier )

      shuttle diplomacy

5. badminton short for shuttlecock

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verb

1. to move or cause to move by or as if by a shuttle

Other Word Forms

• shuttlelike adjective

Etymology

Origin of shuttle

before 900; Middle English shotil (noun), Old English scytel dart, arrow; cognate with Old Norse skutill harpoon; akin to shut, shoot ¹

Example Sentences

A trip to Nuuk on the weekly shuttle costs over $100, and the average price for a night in a hotel in the capital is in the same range.

From Barron's

Nasa has labelled the botched 2024 Starliner mission, which left two astronauts stranded in space for months, a "Type A" mishap, on par with fatal shuttle disasters of the past, in a newly published report.

From BBC

Road traffic and the Lotschberg car shuttle were interrupted for several hours.

From Barron's

Collectively, the team's defence, which has kept opposition shuttling sideways for the past year, was suddenly full of creaks and creases for Scotland to exploit.

From BBC

But if you are crossing the English Channel by ferry from the port of Dover, taking the Eurotunnel shuttle to France, or getting the Eurostar train, it will be done as you leave the UK.

From BBC

Related Words

• airplane
• plane
• shuttle bus
• spacecraft
• train