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 phalanx of demonstrators circled her and shuttled her away.

From Los Angeles Times

From the airport, I shuttled to a discount car rental agency, where I uncovered a raft of unexpected fees that more than doubled the rate I’d booked online.

From The Wall Street Journal

Large AI models such as ChatGPT and Claude constantly shuttle enormous volumes of data between memory, which holds information, and the computing units that process it.

From Science Daily

No shuttles or trains or long walks to your gate.

From The Wall Street Journal

My folks divorced when I was 6, and I shuttled between their homes as they moved separately around New Jersey.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• airplane
• plane
• shuttle bus
• spacecraft
• train