French word

autobus

Pronunciation

IPA/otobys/

Meaning

  • masculine nounbus

Example

L'autobus arrive à la gare.

The bus arrives at the station.

Illustration for autobus (bus)

More examples

Je prends l'autobus tous les matins.

I take the bus every morning.

Core concept

A large vehicle that follows a planned road path, pauses for boarding, and continues with a group of passengers.

Common phrases

  • prendre l'autobus

    take the bus

  • aller en autobus

    go by bus

  • arrêt d'autobus

    bus stop

Similar words

bus: A road-based shared vehicle for everyday travel between stops in a city.
métro: A high-frequency urban train running underground or on a dedicated route.
tramway: An electric rail vehicle serving stops along streets or on dedicated tracks.
autocar: A large passenger vehicle with mainly seats for long-distance intercity travel.

Definition in French

Véhicule motorisé utilisé pour le transport collectif de personnes le long d'itinéraires avec arrêts, permettant l'embarquement et le débarquement à des points déterminés.

Word origin

Autobus is a French compound of auto- and bus; bus itself comes from omnibus, the Latin form meaning "for everyone" used in the name of a public conveyance.

Usage tips

  • Passenger movement is expressed with specific prepositions: monter dans l'autobus and descendre de l'autobus, while a stop is often marked by à l'arrêt.

Opposites

Word lists with this word