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
Emily Adler, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Apr. 2026
No, there is no shuttle between the stations.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2026
Tereza, desperate to shirk a government order that’s all about maintaining national productivity above all else, escapes the process that would shuttle her into a retirement colony.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shuttle
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Noun
The crowd includes a wide variety of travelers—honeymooners, multigenerational families, and a very large handful of long-timers who know the receptionists, pool staff, water sports crew, and even the shuttle drivers like family members.
—Emily Adler, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Apr. 2026
No, there is no shuttle between the stations.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Verb
This 81-passenger wooden ferry has been shuttling people and supplies six miles between Mallaig and the off-grid village of Inverie for the past 60 years.
—Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2026
Tereza, desperate to shirk a government order that’s all about maintaining national productivity above all else, escapes the process that would shuttle her into a retirement colony.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shuttle
Cite this Entry
“Shuttle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shuttle. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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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