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The adjective omnibus may not have much to do with public transportation, but the noun omnibus certainly does—it not only means "bus," but it's also the word English speakers shortened to form bus. The noun omnibus originated in the 1820s as a French word for long, horse-drawn vehicles that transported people along the main thoroughfares of Paris. Shortly thereafter, omnibuses—and the noun omnibus—arrived in New York. But in Latin, omnibus simply means "for all." Our adjective omnibus, which arrived in the mid-1800s, seems to hark back to that Latin omnibus, though it may also have been at least partially influenced by the English noun. An "omnibus bill" containing numerous provisions, for example, could be likened to a bus loaded with people.
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Examples of omnibus in a Sentence
Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 26 Feb. 2024
The Treasury Department told reporters at the end of November that the additional IRS funding would have been securely in place if Congress were looking to fund the government with a larger spending package, sometimes called an omnibus.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 11 Dec. 2024
David Williams, National Review, 26 Dec. 2024
It was all supposed to be taken care of in the omnibus budget bill, until Trump and Musk stepped in and sunk the entire measure.
—Howard Gleckman, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Omnibus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omnibus. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
omnibus
1 of 2 noun
omnibus
2 of 2 adjective
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