shuttle

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A bus, train, plane or boat that makes the same short trip back and forth between two places.

   Grammar: Often used before another noun: a shuttle bus, a shuttle service.

   Patterns

   • a shuttle bus
   • a shuttle service
   • the airport shuttle
   • take the shuttle

   A free shuttle runs between the hotel and the airport.

   We took the shuttle from the parking lot to the terminal.

   The shuttle leaves every twenty minutes.

2. 2verbtransitive

   Carries people or things back and forth regularly between two places.

   Grammar: Often used in the passive: passengers are shuttled between terminals.

   Patterns

   • shuttle someone between places
   • shuttle passengers to somewhere
   • be shuttled around

   Small vans shuttle workers between the factory and the station.

   She was shuttled from one meeting to the next all day.

   Buses shuttle visitors up the mountain in summer.

3. 3nouncountabletechnical

   A spacecraft that travels repeatedly between Earth and a space station.

   Grammar: Often written with a capital S when it names a particular program.

   Patterns

   • the space shuttle
   • a shuttle mission
   • launch a shuttle

   The shuttle carried six astronauts into orbit.

   A shuttle mission can last more than a week.

4. 4nouncountabletechnical

   The small boat-shaped part of a sewing machine or loom that carries thread through the fabric.

   Grammar: Usually singular in this sense; the verb 'to shuttle' comes from this movement.

   Patterns

   • the shuttle of a loom
   • thread the shuttle

   He rethreaded the shuttle and started sewing again.

   The shuttle slides back and forth under the needle.

Word forms

Common combinations

shuttle bus

A shuttle bus takes guests to the beach.

shuttle service

The hotel offers a free shuttle service to the airport.

space shuttle

The space shuttle landed safely in California.

shuttle diplomacy

The envoy practiced shuttle diplomacy between the two capitals.

shuttle back and forth

Trains shuttle back and forth all night.

Synonyms and how they differ

ferry

Ferry suggests carrying people or goods across water or a short distance, often with a boat; shuttle stresses regular back-and-forth trips.

commuter train

A commuter train runs on a fixed schedule for daily travelers; a shuttle is usually a short, frequent link.

Word family

shuttlecock noun

The feathered object hit back and forth in badminton.

shuttling noun

The act of moving people or things repeatedly between places.

Commonly confused: shuttle or shuttle and shut?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “shuttle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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