space shuttle

noun

: a reusable spacecraft designed to transport people and cargo between earth and space

Examples of space shuttle 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.
Moskowitz has reported live from rocket launches, space shuttle liftoffs and landings, suborbital spaceflight training, mountaintop observatories, and more. Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 15 Nov. 2025 This space museum was built in the former industrial site where all of the Apollo Command/Service Modules were built and the space shuttle was designed. Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 8 Nov. 2025 No, no, but so many things are in peril compared to the support excitement around the ’60s, the space shuttles, the Hubble and Webb telescopes. Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2025 All of SpaceX's orbital flights this year have been performed by Falcon 9s, which have now launched as many missions in the past 11 months as NASA's space shuttle flew in its 30-year history. Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for space shuttle

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of space shuttle was in 1950

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Cite this Entry

“Space shuttle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/space%20shuttle. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

space shuttle

noun
: a spacecraft designed to transport people and cargo between earth and space that can be used repeatedly

More from Merriam-Webster on space shuttle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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