bullet train

noun

: a high-speed passenger train especially of Japan

Examples of bullet train in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
California's high-speed rail project is moving forward with a tighter timeline, as state officials prepare to install electrified tracks by 2026, marking a significant milestone for the nation's first bullet train system. Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025 On Sunday, Ishiba will escort Modi on a bullet train to Sendai in northern Japan, for a tour of a factory that makes machinery for producing semiconductors, before the Indian leader flies to China, the next destination of his Asia tour. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2025 But the NextGen fleet will lag far behind the fastest bullet trains in the world, which routinely top 200 miles per hour in Asia and Europe. Joel Rose, NPR, 28 Aug. 2025 California has aimed for more than a decade to build a bullet train that can travel between Los Angeles and San Francisco in under three hours. Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bullet train

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bullet train was in 1966

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bullet train.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bullet%20train. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

bullet train

noun
: a very high-speed passenger train
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