Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bus

/bɐs/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.83 in modern English

Syllables: bus
IPA: /bɐs/

5

Scrabble Score

3

Letters

1

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A motor vehicle for transporting large numbers of people along roads.

noun

A motor vehicle for transporting large numbers of people along roads.

Canadian usage; American usage

noun

Any motorized vehicle, such as a motorbike or car.

British usage; Dated

noun

An electrical conductor or interface serving as a common connection for two or more circuits or components.

noun

Part of a MIRV missile, having on-board motors used to deliver the warhead to a target.

noun

Slang

noun

Slang

noun

A network topology with each computer connected to a single cable.

Example Sentences

"I'm on the bus."
"I can't read on the bus because I get sick."
"“Excuse me,” said the stranger, who turned out to be a youth in motorcycling kit, “but could you give me a hand with my bus?”"
"It had to be something with only two cylinders, if the whole ignition was to be put out of action with one needle: that is, a Morgan, a Belsize-Bradshaw, or a motorbike. He probably avoided the bike on the grounds of exposure to weather, and chose the Morgan as the next most handy and numerous two-cylinder ’bus."
"Because the new language school of Fu Jen University in the nearby city of Hsinchu was not yet completed, we were bused with other aspiring students of Chinese language to a farming village called Kuanhsi (Guanxi: West Pass), nestled against the tea growing hills of Hsinchu county."
"Machine guns are the most effective form of ‘election campaigning’, but the occupiers appear to also be bussing in ‘voters’ from the Russian Federation, and ‘registering total strangers in the homes of people forced to flee after the Russian invasion."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep-der. Proto-Italic *opnis Latin omnis Latin omnibuslbor. French omnibusbor. English omnibusclip. English bus Clipping of omnibus. Superseded earlier 'bus, where the apostrophe indicated a clipping. The shift in spelling likely reflects the fact that modern speakers no longer perceive this term as a clipping. The electrical sense is derived from figurative application of the automotive sense.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /bɐs/

Usage

Inflected Forms

buses (plural) busses (plural) 'bus (alternative, archaic) buses (present, singular) busses (present, singular) busing (participle, present) bussing (participle, present) bused (participle, past) bused (past) bussed (participle, past) bussed (past)

Derived Forms

airbus bangbus battlebus bookbus busable busbar busful busgirl busjacking busless buslike busload

Phrases

address bus and then everyone on the bus clapped articulated bus baht bus banana bus battle bus bendy bus boo-boo bus

Synonyms

autobus coach loser cruiser motorbus motorcoach omnibus Shillibeer busbar digit trunk electrical bus

Homonyms

Buss

Rhymes With

us plus thus discuss gus russ fuss truss rus sus pus cus

Questions

How do you pronounce bus?: The recorded pronunciation is /bɐs/.
What does bus mean?: A motor vehicle for transporting large numbers of people along roads.
Where does bus come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep-der. Proto-Italic *opnis Latin omnis Latin omnibuslbor. French omnibusbor. English omnibusclip. English bus Clipping of omnibus. Superseded earlier 'bus, where the apostrophe indicated a clipping. The shift in spelling likely reflects the fact that modern speakers no longer perceive this term as a clipping. The electrical sense is derived from figurative application of the automotive sense.

How to pronounce bus

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bus”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/bɐs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bus”.
Repeat and practice — Say “bus” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.