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)

• shuttles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shuttled,
  past participle,  past
• shuttling
  present participle

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)

• shuttles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shuttled,
  past participle,  past
• shuttling
  present participle

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

Derived Forms

• shuttlelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• shuttling
  present
• shuttled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• shuttle
  simple
• shuttles
  simple
• have shuttled
  perfect
• has shuttled
  perfect
• am shuttling
  progressive
• are shuttling
  progressive
• is shuttling
  progressive
• have been shuttling
  perfect progressive
• has been shuttling
  perfect progressive

Past

• shuttled
  simple
• had shuttled
  perfect
• was shuttling
  progressive
• were shuttling
  progressive
• had been shuttling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will shuttle
  simple
• will have shuttled
  perfect
• will be shuttling
  progressive
• will have been shuttling
  perfect progressive

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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

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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

See Examples For:

shuttle shuttles shuttled shuttling

These shuttle ships use a route close to Oman's coastline.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

General admission to the California Science Center is free, but reservations for the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, including the shuttle, are encouraged.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

In 2012, the shuttle landed at LAX on top of a modified Boeing 747 and made its final voyage across Los Angeles to the California Science Center at Exposition Park.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

Rails: Nearly 200 electromagnets along the rails generate a magnetic field that pulls the shuttle along the track and turns them off again as it passes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

A shiny dark shuttle squats in the shadows like a carpet beetle, waiting for when it will go into duty in four hundred years.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Deutsche Bahn is considering replacing its regional bus lines with autonomous shuttles, but sees a possible rollout only toward 2045.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Graham shuttles off this mortal coil with no such vindication.

From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026

Moxi – which shuttles medical supplies around hospitals – might respond by displaying its heart-shaped LED eyes and a beep beep greeting of its own.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

One of three surviving space shuttles, the Endeavour made 25 successful missions into space between 1992 and 2011.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

The commuter shuttles ran only a few times a day, so the residents lucky enough to have a job would already be waiting at the bus stop by the highway.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

A key player was national security adviser Jonathan Powell, who shuttled between Washington and Kyiv pouring oil on troubled waters.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

It might feel bad seeing other kids being shuttled from hobby to hobby, but that doesn’t mean you’re doing a bad job as a parent because yours must pick one at a time.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

It shuttled the members of Aztek Nation to events, and in the image caption, Rosales waxes poetic that the van was like a member of the crew.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Instead of leaving on either that jet or “former” Air Force One, the president secretly hopped into an airport catering truck and shuttled to an Air Force C-32A, a smaller military plane.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

Half an hour later, fifty nylon bags filled with gold coins, jewelry, rare gems, and precious artifacts had been shuttled out of the chamber through the crawl space.

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

Tau operates a fleet of eight robots, shuttling them around the city two at a time in a blue Honda minivan.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

With threats mounting, the crown prince is shuttling between heavily guarded palaces equipped with bunkers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

To keep exports flowing from Gulf Arab states, the US military has been providing protection for tankers shuttling oil through the Strait of Hormuz.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Each day he tends to the files of nondescript individuals, shuttling between separate archives of the living and the dead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Instead of renting an apartment of their own, they spend eight months with their various relatives, shuttling from home to home.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

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