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
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
shuttleless
adjective
shuttled; shuttling
ˈshə-tᵊl-iŋ 
ˈshət-liŋ
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
1
: to move or travel back and forth frequently
2
: to move by or as if by a shuttle
Examples of shuttle in a Sentence
Noun
A shuttle takes people from the parking lot to the airport.
Verb
We shuttled between the city and the country all summer.
A bus shuttled people from the parking lot to the dock.
Recent Examples on the Web
Cade Metz, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2025
Within Queens, a free shuttle will run between Queensboro Plaza and Vernon Blvd.-Jackson Ave.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2025
Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 6 Mar. 2025
In a report released last week before Healey signed another spending bill that shuttled millions to the shelter system, the governor’s top budget-writers said Massachusetts spent just over $520 million in the seven and a half months since the fiscal year started in July 2024.
—Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shuttle
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
In areas like Northern Virginia — the world’s biggest hub of data centers because of its proximity to underwater cables that shuttle data to and from Europe — these companies have all but exhausted the available electricity.
—Cade Metz, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2025
Within Queens, a free shuttle will run between Queensboro Plaza and Vernon Blvd.-Jackson Ave.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2025
Verb
Homeowners in towns near Bradley International Airport, a freight hub, complained about pollution, noise and road congestion from fleets of trucks shuttling on and off the I-84 or I-91.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 6 Mar. 2025
In a report released last week before Healey signed another spending bill that shuttled millions to the shelter system, the governor’s top budget-writers said Massachusetts spent just over $520 million in the seven and a half months since the fiscal year started in July 2024.
—Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shuttle
Cite this Entry
“Shuttle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shuttle. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shuttle
1 of 2 noun
shut·tle
ˈshət-ᵊl
1
: an instrument used in weaving to carry the thread back and forth from side to side through the threads that run lengthwise
2
a
: a vehicle that goes back and forth regularly over an often short route
the airport shuttle
space shuttle
b
: an established route used by a shuttle
shuttle
2 of 2 verb
shuttled; shuttling
ˈshət-liŋ
-ᵊl-iŋ
1
: to move or travel back and forth often
2
: to transport in, by, or as if by a shuttle
shuttled the children to school
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