shuttle
Americannoun
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a device in a loom for passing or shooting the weft thread through the shed from one side of the web to the other, usually consisting of a boat-shaped piece of wood containing a bobbin on which the weft thread is wound.
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the sliding container that carries the lower thread in a sewing machine.
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a public conveyance, as a train, airplane, or bus, that travels back and forth at regular intervals over a particular route, especially a short route or one connecting two transportation systems.
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(often initial capital letter) space shuttle.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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a bobbin-like device used in weaving for passing the weft thread between the warp threads
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a small bobbin-like device used to hold the thread in a sewing machine or in tatting, knitting, etc
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a bus, train, aircraft, etc, that plies between two points, esp one that offers a frequent service over a short route
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short for space shuttle
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the movement between various countries of a diplomat in order to negotiate with rulers who refuse to meet each other
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( as modifier )
shuttle diplomacy
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badminton short for shuttlecock
verb
Other Word Forms
- shuttlelike adjective
Etymology
Origin of shuttle
before 900; Middle English shotil (noun), Old English scytel dart, arrow; cognate with Old Norse skutill harpoon; akin to shut, shoot 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The back-up supply in Biletsky's block meant the lift -- unlike in many buildings -- was still shuttling up and down, and electric pumps were able to send water to the top floors.
From Barron's
So Radonich made changes, adding more shuttle trips and switching up the morning food offerings, adding things like breakfast burritos and stuffed croissants.
From MarketWatch
A trip to Nuuk on the weekly shuttle costs over $100, and the average price for a night in a hotel in the capital is in the same range.
From Barron's
Nasa has labelled the botched 2024 Starliner mission, which left two astronauts stranded in space for months, a "Type A" mishap, on par with fatal shuttle disasters of the past, in a newly published report.
From BBC
Road traffic and the Lotschberg car shuttle were interrupted for several hours.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
