bureau

noun bu·reau \ ˈbyu̇r-(ˌ)ō , ˈbyər- \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Examples: bureau in a Sentence

Definition of bureau

plural bureaus also bureaux play \-(ˌ)ōz\

1 a British : writing desk; especially : one having drawers and a slant top

b : a low chest of drawers for use in a bedroom

2 a : a specialized administrative unit; especially : a subdivision of an executive department of a government

the Federal Bureau of Investigation

b : a branch of a newspaper, newsmagazine, or wire service in an important news center

the newspaper's Washington bureau

c : a usually commercial agency that serves as an intermediary especially for exchanging information or coordinating activities

credit bureau

the local visitor's bureau

See bureau defined for English-language learners

See bureau defined for kids

Examples of bureau in a Sentence

the Federal Bureau of Investigation
The book is on top of my bureau.

Recent Examples of bureau from the Web

The visit is the bureau's latest move in its investigation of former Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, R-Clinton County.

— chrissie thompson, Cincinnati.com, "FBI visits luxury condo owned by heiress and rented by former Ohio Speaker Rosenberger," 9 June 2018
Overall, China’s exports in May were up 12.6% from a year earlier, about matching April’s 12.9% pace, the customs bureau said.

— WSJ, "China’s Trade Surplus Narrows—but Not With the U.S.," 8 June 2018
The federal watchdog has announced only one major enforcement effort since Trump named Mulvaney the bureau's acting director last fall.

— kevin mccoy, USA TODAY, "Trump consumer chief Mick Mulvaney ousts Obama-era advisory panel members," 7 June 2018
The off-duty FBI agent whose weapon discharged at a Denver nightclub has been identified as Chase Bishop of the bureau's Washington Field Office, law enforcement sources told CBS News.

— CBS News, "FBI agent who accidentally shot nightclub patron identified," 5 June 2018
Wasden fears not having the state accounting system there to keep the bureau honest would hand control of state water to the feds.

— melissa davlin and seth ogilvie, idahostatesman, "These reservoirs keep Boise from flooding. But irrigators don't like how they're run.," 4 June 2018
As the bureau's statement notes (emphasis ours): The FBI recommends any owner of small office and home office routers reboot the devices to temporarily disrupt the malware and aid the potential identification of infected devices.

— eric limer, Popular Mechanics, "Reboot Your Router, But Don't Stop There," 30 May 2018
Its release is sure to heighten scrutiny on the bureau's actions in 2016.

— brooke singman, Fox News, "Trump warns Comey over looming IG report on Clinton case: 'A lot of problems'," 23 May 2018
Trump later fired Comey over the bureau's Russia investigation.

— jonathan lemire and darlene superville, chicagotribune.com, "Giuliani says Mueller investigation could end by Sept. 1," 21 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bureau.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of bureau

French, desk, cloth covering for desks, from Old French burel woolen cloth, from Old French *bure, from Late Latin burra shaggy cloth

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1698

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

bureau Synonyms

Synonyms

agency, arm, branch, department, desk, division, office, service;

Related Words

subdepartment, subdivision;

Other Furniture and Woodworking Terms

appoint, credenza, mission, settee

BUREAU Defined for English Language Learners

bureau

noun

Definition of bureau for English Language Learners

: a government department or part of a government department in the U.S.
: an office of a newspaper, magazine, etc., that is not the main office but is in an important city
: an office or organization that provides services or information to the public

BUREAU Defined for Kids

bureau

noun bu·reau \ ˈbyu̇r-ō \

Definition of bureau for Students

1 : a low chest of drawers for use in a bedroom

2 : a division of a government department

the Federal Bureau of Investigation

3 : a business office that provides services

a travel bureau

History for bureau

A chest of drawers and an office, which are two of the meanings of the word bureau, do not seem to have much of a connection. In French, from which we have borrowed the word, bureau originally referred to a piece of rough cloth used to protect the surface of a desk. But its meaning expanded so that it could also refer to the desk itself, and to the room containing the desk, that is, an office. On some bureaus with lots of drawers the writing surface could be raised and closed to form a slanting top. In the United States a chest of drawers without any writing surface came to be called a bureau.