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microbus

microbus

1 4.1
A small bus that carries a few people for short trips
  • noun
  • /ˈmaɪkroʊˌbʌs/
translation icon : microbús
  • After a Deadhead kicked Riley out of his microbus for a wisecrack about a bootleg tape, the rest stop map made going home seem like a good idea.
  • VW Microbus
  • Volkswagen Microbus

Examples

  • Don't dirty f*%ing hippies just get in their flower-covered VW Microbus and camp out?

    Blog text (30)
  • Consuela has grown to be as big as a Volkswagen Microbus.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • I had the VW microbus.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • When the Microbus draws alongside Sissy, it stops.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • From the direction of the ranch, a VW Microbus is approaching.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Our AP Physics teacher spent the year showing us photos of his trip across the country in a VW microbus.

    Blog text (28)
  • "Our AP Physics teacher spent the year showing us photos of his trip across the country in a VW microbus.

    Blog text (28)
  • "Don't the Car Talk guys say you should never drive a microbus without kneepads and a football helmet?" Thrip asked.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • It's kind of bad distribution; some have a lot and some have nothing. You know that Egypt has the biggest number of Mercedes cars in the world, and other people can't even find a place in a microbus to sit.

    Blog text (9)
  • We traveled to the festival in a charming little microbus that fit all our friends comfortably.

Synonyms

minibus
vsmicrobus
4 2.7

A small bus that carries about four to ten people

is a general small bus term not limited to exactly four to ten passengers
jitney
vsmicrobus
  • Archaic
3 9.9

A small bus or car that carries people for a low price and stops where needed

refers to small buses as a class rather than a low fare flexible service

How Big

coach
75 1.3
bus
1.0
microbus
1 4.1
minivan
  • US
80 1.9

Surface Forms

microbus singular
microbuses plural

Morphology

microbus = bus (transparent) = micro + bus

The word is transparently formed from the prefix 'micro-' meaning small and the base 'bus', yielding a small bus.

Etymology

Microbus combines micro-, meaning 'small', as in microscope, and bus, the common word for a vehicle for people, so it means a small bus used to carry only a few passengers.