bureau

play

noun bu·reau \ˈbyu̇r-(ˌ)ō, ˈbyər-\

Definition of bureau

plural

bureaus

also

bureaux

play \-(ˌ)ōz\

1a British : writing desk; especially : one having drawers and a slant topb : a low chest of drawers for use in a bedroom
2a : a specialized administrative unit; especially : a subdivision of an executive department of a government the Federal Bureau of Investigationb : a branch of a newspaper, newsmagazine, or wire service in an important news center the newspaper's Washington bureauc : 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

Jack Simpson, commander of the administrative services bureau, said last week.

— erika butler, The Aegis, "Sheriff's Office says lock your vehicles", 5 July 2017
The Hamilton Police Department is asking anyone with information about Reed's death to contact the detective bureau at 513-868-5811 ext.

— cameron knight, Cincinnati.com, "Man killed in weekend shooting in Hamilton", 26 June 2017
The view was somewhat different from the No. 1 spot occupied by Carrow’s classmate Daniel Buscaglia, who also played saxophone in several performance ensembles and volunteered in his town’s youth bureau.

— carolyn thompson, The Seattle Times, "Valedictorians’ days numbered? Schools rethink class ranking", 15 June 2017
Walid Omary, Al-Jazeera's local bureau chief, said he has not been notified of any formal action against his operation.

— josef federman, Jewish Journal, "Israel considers closing Al-Jazeera", 14 June 2017
Vornado Realty Trust is one of three finalists to build a replacement for the bureau's current headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C., the massive J. Edgar Hoover Building, according to Garth Beall, manager of Renard Development.

— bernard condon, chicagotribune.com, "Trump, Kushner family partner a finalist for $1.7 billion contract to build FBI headquarters", 13 June 2017
Under the bill, the consumer bureau would be stripped of most of its powers to regulate home-mortgage lenders, student and payday lenders, credit cards, large retail banks and other firms that sell financial services to households and individuals.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "How your local lawmaker voted", 10 June 2017
For example, Comey kept James Clapper, Coats’s predecessor in the DNI job during the Obama administration, in the dark about the bureau’s investigation into possible coordination.

— the washington post, The Mercury News, "Intelligence official: Trump asked him if he could intervene with Comey on FBI’s Russia probe", 6 June 2017
Lawmakers are likely to ask Comey about his interactions with Trump as the bureau pursued its investigation into his campaign’s contacts.

— jake pearson, The Seattle Times, "Comey OK’d to testify; House committee issues subpoenas", 1 June 2017

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!

First Known Use: 1698

See Words from the same year

Other Furniture and Woodworking Terms

appoint, credenza, mission, settee

BUREAU Defined for English Language Learners

bureau

play

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

play

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.