bureau

play

noun bu·reau \ ˈbyu̇r-(ˌ)ō , ˈbyər- \

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

Chris Burley, a bureau spokesman, said an officer followed Christian in his patrol car until another officer arrived.

— steven dubois, The Seattle Times, "Woman: Oregon train stabbings could have been prevented," 18 Aug. 2017
This spring the bureau announced that a new IT system to integrate all the working parts of the 2020 census will cost at least $309 million more than earlier estimates.

— david malakoff, Science | AAAS, "Senate spending panel would squeeze science agencies but exceed Trump request," 25 July 2017
Every FBI director holds the position in the shadow of J. Edgar Hoover, whose half-century tenure elevated the bureau to the preeminent position in American law enforcement.

— matt ford, The Atlantic, "The Senate Meets Trump's Nominee for FBI Director," 12 July 2017
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
Sandlass, along with Rachel Holmes, chief of the county's bureau of revenue collections; Paula Anis, assistant supervisor of revenue collections; treasurer's office attorney Alan Getz; and intern Magdalena Chojnowska took part in the sale.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Harford County recoups more than $934,000 in delinquent property taxes in 2017 tax sale," 20 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
Comey confirmed publicly in congressional testimony on March 20 that the bureau was investigating possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russians.

— the washington post, The Mercury News, "Special counsel is investigating Trump for possible obstruction of justice," 14 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! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1698

See Words from the same year

bureau Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Related Words

subdepartment, subdivision

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.