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

Explanation

A shuttle runs between two or more places regularly. The benefit to staying at a hotel close to the airport is that you can take a shuttle, or a regular bus that travels back and forth, to catch your plane in the morning. Airport shuttles are often buses, although they can also be trains, vans, or any other form of transportation. Some airplanes are shuttles, flying passengers on quick trips. You can also use the word shuttle as a verb, to describe what the bus itself does as it moves back and forth. The original meaning of shuttle is the part of a hand loom that moves to and fro in weaving.

Example Sentences

That’s after the Falcon had lowered the cost to reach space by more than 95%, relative to NASA’s Space Shuttle.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Shuttle buses will then whisk them roughly 25 miles to the airport, where they will be dropped off beyond the security checkpoint, avoiding crowded parking lots, chaotic curbsides and flight check-in queues.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

Simmons pointed to the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, which was linked to the failure of a rubber gasket in cold temperatures.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2026

Between 1989 and 1992, he owned the Trump Shuttle, which ran routes between New York, Boston and Washington.

From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026

To date, the Shuttle has flown about sixty times, all but one of the flights successful.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

Related Words

• airplane
• plane
• shuttle bus
• spacecraft
• train