Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense shuttles, present participle shuttling, past tense, past participle shuttled
1. countable noun
A shuttle is the same as a space shuttle.
2. countable noun [oft NOUN noun]
A shuttle is a plane, bus, or train which makes frequent journeys between two places.
...the BA shuttle to Glasgow.
...shuttle flights between London and Manchester.
3. verb
If someone or something shuttles or is shuttled from one place to another place, they frequently go from one place to the other.
He and colleagues have shuttled back and forth between the three capitals. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Machine parts were also being shuttled across the border without authorisation. [beVERB-ed preposition/adverb]
[Also VERB noun preposition/adverb]
Synonyms: go back and forth, commute, go to and fro, alternate More Synonyms of shuttle
4. countable noun
A shuttle is a piece of equipment used in weaving. It takes a thread backwards and forwards over the other threads in order to make a piece of cloth.
shuttle in British English
(ˈʃʌtəl)
noun
1.
a bobbin-like device used in weaving for passing the weft thread between the warp threads
2.
a small bobbin-like device used to hold the thread in a sewing machine or in tatting, knitting, etc
3.
a.
a bus, train, aircraft, etc, that plies between two points, esp one that offers a frequent service over a short route
b. short for space shuttle
4.
a.
the movement between various countries of a diplomat in order to negotiate with rulers who refuse to meet each other
b.
(as modifier)
shuttle diplomacy
5. badminton short for shuttlecock
verb
6.
to move or cause to move by or as if by a shuttle
Word origin
Old English scytel bolt; related to Middle High German schüzzel, Swedish skyttel. See shoot, shot
shuttle in American English
(ˈʃʌtəl)
noun
1.
a.
an instrument containing a reel or spool of the woof thread, used in weaving to carry the thread back and forth between the warp threads
b.
a smaller but similar thread holder used in tatting, etc.
c.
a device that carries the lower thread back and forth in making a lock stitch on a sewing machine
d.
any of several devices having a similar to-and-fro action
2. US
a.
a traveling back and forth over an often short route, as by an airplane, train, bus, etc.
kept the planes in a 24-hour shuttle
b.
the route so traveled
c.
a shuttle service offered by an airline, esp. one for which reservations are not required
the New York-Washington shuttle
d.
an airplane, train, bus, etc. used in a shuttle
3.
space shuttle
4.
shuttlecock
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈshuttled or ˈshuttling
5.
to move or go back and forth rapidly or frequently
6. US
to move or go by or as by means of a shuttle
Word origin
ME schutylle < OE scytel, missile < base of sceotan, to shoot: so called because shot to and fro with the thread in weaving
Examples of 'shuttle' in a sentence
shuttle
There is a shuttling back and forth between what is being deconstructed and what isbeing reconstructed.
Lee Harvey Critical Social Research (1990)
Going straight from a shuttle run into a scrum is serious hard work but is invaluable.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There is a free shuttle service from the hotel to the beach.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The locals looked at them as if they were space shuttles.
The Sun (2015)
You can only get there by car or shuttle bus.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It is only when disaster strikes that the shuttle makes headlines.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Barely clearing before the shuttle moves past it!
Tepper, Sheri S. A Plague of Angels (1993)
The narrative then shuttles between these two time frames.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
And a free shuttle bus on the resort makes it easy to get around.
The Sun (2008)
Steam trains provide a shuttle service between the two sites.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
But no troops and no shuttle diplomacy.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
So many people had swamped what limited transport we had and a shuttle service was in operation.
Stewart, Bob (Lt-Col) Broken Lives (1993)
The last space shuttle accident has left a queue for the launching pad.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Access will be by foot or on a fleet of shuttles that will run from a new mainland car park.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
An airport official said the alternative is to take passengers to the midterm car park for a free shuttle bus.
The Sun (2009)
The airport shuttle buses are another good way into the city and can drop you at many of the main hotels.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It will be one of the shuttle fleet's last voyages.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
After months of training, they put all three in the shuttle and prepare for launch.
The Sun (2013)
The shuttle programme cost about 120 billion.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The staff shuttles back and forth, and the arrangement has proven effective.
Christianity Today (2000)
There are definite advantages to shuttling between the two, she says.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
I would take the Eastern shuttle from one to the other.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
So instead they've spent 64,000 on cabs and a shuttle service to move records to and from a storage depot.
The Sun (2006)
In other languages
shuttle
British English: shuttle /ˈʃʌtl/ NOUN
A shuttle is a spacecraft that is designed to travel into space and back to earth several times.
American English: shuttle
Arabic: مَكُّوك
Brazilian Portuguese: ônibus espacial
Chinese: 航天飞机
Croatian: šatl
Czech: raketoplán
Danish: pendulrute
Dutch: ruimteveer
European Spanish: lanzadera
Finnish: sukkula
French: navette
German: Pendelfahrzeug
Greek: λεωφορείο γραμμής
Italian: navetta
Japanese: 定期往復便
Korean: 근거리 왕복
Norwegian: pendlertransport
Polish: transport wahadłowy
European Portuguese: vaivém
Romanian: navetă spațială
Russian: космический корабль многоразового использования
Latin American Spanish: lanzadera
Swedish: skyttel
Thai: กระสวย
Turkish: karşılıklı sefer yapan araç
Ukrainian: шатл
Vietnamese: xe con thoi
British English: shuttle VERB
If someone or something shuttles or is shuttled from one place to another place, they frequently go from one place to the other.
He and colleagues have shuttled back and forth between the three capitals.
American English: shuttle
Brazilian Portuguese: viajar com frequência
Chinese: 频频往返于两地之间
European Spanish: trasladarse
French: faire la navette
German: pendeln
Italian: fare la spola
Japanese: 往復する
Korean: 왕복하다
European Portuguese: viajar com frequência
Latin American Spanish: trasladarse
All related terms of 'shuttle'
air shuttle
a shuttle service operated by aircraft, usually covering short routes with frequent flights
shuttle bus
a bus that travels regularly between two places
space shuttle
A space shuttle or a shuttle is a spacecraft that is designed to travel into space and back to earth several times.
shuttle service
a bus , train , or plane service in which vehicles travel frequently between two places
diplomatic shuttle
a series of diplomatic visits to other states made by an official, such as an ambassador or envoy
shuttle armature
a simple H-shaped armature used in small direct-current motors
shuttle diplomacy
Shuttle diplomacy is the movement of diplomats between countries whose leaders refuse to talk directly to each other, in order to try to settle the argument between them.
shuttle movement
the movement of a component from one place to another and back to its original position