shuttle

noun shut·tle \ ˈshə-tᵊl \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

Definition of shuttle

1 a : a device used in weaving for passing the thread of the weft between the threads of the warp

b : a spindle-shaped device holding the thread in tatting, knotting, or netting

c : a sliding thread holder for the lower thread of a sewing machine that carries the lower thread through a loop of the upper thread to make a stitch

2 : shuttlecock

3 a : a going back and forth regularly over an often short route by a vehicle

b (1) : an established route used in a shuttle

(2) : a vehicle used in a shuttle

a shuttle bus

c : space shuttle

—

shuttleless

adjective

See shuttle defined for English-language learners

See shuttle defined for kids

Examples of shuttle in a Sentence

A shuttle takes people from the parking lot to the airport.

Recent Examples of shuttle from the Web

To avoid getting stuck in traffic use the free shuttle buses, walk or ride a bike to all the attractions.

— latimes.com, "Ideas for outwitting the crowds at Yosemite," 8 July 2018
Contact: Sequoia National Forest, (559) 338-2251, https://www.fs.usda.gov/sequoia.Glacier Point (Yosemite): From the valley floor, Yosemite Valley, take the shuttle bus up to the parking lot at 7,214-foot Glacier Point.

— tom stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Mount Eddy’s ‘reveal moment’ of giant Shasta," 5 July 2018
An Exmoor gate on Michigan Avenue in Highwood will serve as the main entrance for spectators and volunteers, who will be arriving by shuttle bus.

— karen berkowitz, chicagotribune.com, "Highwood traffic disruptions expected during Senior Players Championship at Exmoor Country Club," 3 July 2018
The endeavor, which already has academics concerned about privacy and security, aims to incorporate new modes of transportation, such as driverless cars, autonomous shuttle buses, and, perhaps, electric scooters.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Google Takes Sides in the Scooter Wars," 2 July 2018
Free shuttle buses will start at 5:30 p.m. from Dulles Elementary and Our Lady of Visitation.

— jeanne houck, Cincinnati.com, "Independence Day: A blast in the 'burbs," 26 June 2018
Free, onsite parking $8, offsite $5 with shuttle bus.

— susan dunne, courant.com, "Three Weekends Of Fourth Of July 2018 Fireworks And Festivals," 25 June 2018
Check-in will be at 22500 Lake Ravines Drive, and a shuttle bus will transport participants to each home on the tour, which is being presented by the nonprofit Southfield Parks and Garden Club.

— greg crawford, Detroit Free Press, "Plan your weekend: Balloonfest in Howell, Mike Tyson at MGM Grand, Orchard Lake art fair," 20 June 2018
Visitors are now encouraged to take a free shuttle bus from a new parking lot a 10-minute drive away (there is still some accessible parking for disabled visitors at the grove itself).

— thomas fuller, New York Times, "A Renewed View of Some of the World’s Oldest Trees," 18 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of shuttle

Middle English shittle, shutle, from Old English scutel, scytel dart; akin to Old Norse skutill bolt, Old English scēotan to shoot — more at shoot

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

shuttle

verb

Definition of shuttle

shuttled; shuttling play \ˈshət-liŋ, ˈshə-tᵊl-iŋ\

transitive verb

1 : to cause to move or travel back and forth frequently

2 : to transport in, by, or as if by a shuttle

shuttled them to school

intransitive verb

1 : to move or travel back and forth frequently

2 : to move by or as if by a shuttle

See shuttle defined for English-language learners

Examples of shuttle in a Sentence

We shuttled between the city and the country all summer.
A bus shuttled people from the parking lot to the dock.

Recent Examples of shuttle from the Web

Right now, fully autonomous cars are rolling around Pittsburgh, the San Francisco Bay area, and parts of Michigan, shuttling people from here to there with minimal manual intervention.

— peter wayner, The Atlantic, "The New York City Subway Is Beyond Repair," 9 June 2018
Meanwhile, the caucuses of Congress and JDS were being shuttled from one locked-down luxury resort to another.

— The Economist, "A series of reversals forces India’s newest chief minister from office," 19 May 2018
The hotel is close to the team’s practice facility and players are shuttled back and forth, while Kirk’s parents’ house is a 30-minute commute.

— bob mcmanaman, azcentral, "Veteran WR Greg Little hoping to find NFL work again on tryout basis in Cardinals' rookie camp," 11 May 2018
This year, both have introduced services for shuttling people to the doctor, Uber Health and Lyft Concierge (the latter was introduced to a limited number of partners back in 2016, and was opened up to organizations of all sizes in 2018).

— jenny morber, Glamour, "What if You Take a Lyft Instead of an Ambulance?," 9 May 2018
The athlete and his crew have been shuttling the people across the river, to his home and ultimately to a nearby fire station.

— char adams, PEOPLE.com, "Pro Surfer Rescues Family Stranded in Hawaii Home During Flood: 'It Was Really Scary,' Dad Says," 20 Apr. 2018
Charter buses will shuttle people from the Eastside.

— jessica lee, The Seattle Times, "Thousands expected to attend Seattle Women’s March, related events," 13 Jan. 2018
Waymo is already shuttling around willing participants in a few US cities, Lyft has been offering rides in Las Vegas, and a startup called Voyage is giving them in a Florida retirement community.

— sean o'kane, The Verge, "Mercedes-Benz self-driving taxi pilot coming to Silicon Valley in 2019," 11 July 2018
On Tuesday morning, vans were seen shuttling in and out of child shelters in Phoenix and a nearby ICE office.

— daniel gonzález, azcentral, "Feds say 34 immigrant children to be reunited with parents; no timetable for others," 10 July 2018

First Known Use of shuttle

1550

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

SHUTTLE Defined for English Language Learners

shuttle

noun

Definition of shuttle for English Language Learners

: a vehicle that travels back and forth between places
: a pointed tool that is used to weave cloth by pulling a thread from side to side across other threads