Basic+ Word of the Day: shuttle

shuttle (noun, verb) past tense: shuttled

A shuttle is a public vehicle, such as a bus or a train, that travels back and forth at regular times on a route.

• Allison took the shuttle from the airport to the hotel.
• The shuttle train is the fastest way to go from the airport to downtown.
• The shuttle flies between New York and Washington several times a day.

A shuttle is also a reusable space vehicle that is launched by rockets that detach in flight and returns to earth.

• The shuttle landed at Kennedy Space Center.

Shuttle also means ‘to move back and forth as if by shuttle.’

• Travis shuttled between London and Edinburgh for his job.
• The tech company shuttles their employees from home to work.

Did you know?

Have you ever seen a space shuttle landing? Watch this video of the space shuttle Discovery landing at Edwards Air Force Base.

In pop culture

One “passenger” on the space shuttle Discovery was Buzz Lightyear, star of the animated movie Toy Story. In this video, Buzz Aldrin, a real astronaut, puts Buzz Lightyear through the tests necessary for traveling on the shuttle mission.

There are other meanings of shuttle.