shuttle

[ shuht-l ]

/ ˈʃʌt l /

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See synonyms for: shuttle / shuttling on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

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

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.

shuttlecock (def. 1).

(often initial capital letter) space shuttle.

verb (used with object), shut·tled, shut·tling.

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), shut·tled, shut·tling.

to move to and fro: constantly shuttling between city and suburb.

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Origin of shuttle

before 900; Middle English shotil (noun), Old English scytel dart, arrow; cognate with Old Norse skutill harpoon; akin to shut, shoot¹

OTHER WORDS FROM shuttle

shut·tle·like, adjective

Words nearby shuttle

shutter-priority, shutter release, shutter speed, shut the door, shutting stile, shuttle, shuttle armature, shuttlecock, shuttlecraft, shuttle diplomacy, shut up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use shuttle in a sentence

Until then, Metro officials said customers can use shuttle buses, which will ferry riders between stations.
Two Blue Line Metro stations to close through late May for platform work|Justin George|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
There is a shuttle bus taking passengers to L’Enfant plaza metro.
Metro service restored after track problem brings suspension in D.C.|Justin George|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
“The Zoo pays FONZ to perform in-park services, such as operating guest shuttles, renting strollers, and even emptying the trash, that FONZ performed more efficiently than either the Zoo or for-profit vendors could,” she said in an email.
National Zoo to split with longtime partner FONZ|Michael Ruane|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
After three decades, on July 21, 2011, NASA’s space shuttle program completed its 135th, and final, mission, when the shuttle Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Ralphie from ‘A Christmas Story’ could have been the first child in space. Then disaster struck.|Erik Olsen|December 23, 2020|Popular-Science

From there you can take a shuttle 80 miles north to Grand Canyon Village.
Your New Adventure Travel Bucket List|The Editors|December 21, 2020|Outside Online
The first shuttle flights with two crew members used ejection seats and full pressure suits.
Can Anyone Make Space Safe for Civilians?|Clive Irving|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It could have had a burn-through like Challenger Shuttle, but I would have thought that would take longer.
Clues From SpaceShipTwo’s Wreckage: Did the Crew Compartment Fail?|Clive Irving|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Once a day, she says, a shuttle bus took them into town, dropping them not so subtly near the train station.
Italy's Latest Export Is Refugees, and the Rest of Europe Is Not Happy|Barbie Latza Nadeau|August 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He used the Lear—which seated only six and had no bar—mostly to shuttle his pals between Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and Las Vegas.
Frank Sinatra and the Birth of the Jet Set|William Stadiem|August 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Similar to the Space Shuttle in appearance, the diminutive X-37B is about a quarter the size of the old shuttles.
Will The Pentagon’s Secret Space Plane Ever Return to Earth?|Kyle Mizokami|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He got on the shuttle and over to the West side and up to 96th and across the street from where Louis lived.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Bent low over the machine, he seems absorbed in the work, his hands deftly manipulating the shuttle, his foot on the treadle.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
Last night, when Iftikhar spoke to you soft and low, I could see your eye following his as a weaver's the shuttle.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
But while I admired, I wondered what had called forth in a lad so shuttle-witted this enduring sense of duty.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume XXI|Robert Louis Stevenson
Vaguely, uneasiness grew in his mind as he entered the shuttle station.
The Link|Alan Edward Nourse

British Dictionary definitions for shuttle

shuttle

/ (ˈʃʌtəl) /

noun

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

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

a bus, train, aircraft, etc, that plies between two points, esp one that offers a frequent service over a short route
short for space shuttle

the movement between various countries of a diplomat in order to negotiate with rulers who refuse to meet each other
(as modifier)shuttle diplomacy

badminton short for shuttlecock

verb

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

Word Origin for shuttle

Old English scytel bolt; related to Middle High German schüzzel, Swedish skyttel. See shoot, shot

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

shuttle

Origin of shuttle

OTHER WORDS FROM shuttle

Words nearby shuttle

Words related to shuttle

How to use shuttle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shuttle

Word Origin for shuttle