minibus

M3I1N1I1B3U1S1
US/ˈmɪ.ni.bəs/

noun

A small bus, especially one used as transport for small groups.

Similar
jitneykombi
Less commonScrabble 11
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Meanings

nounminibus (plural minibuses or minibusses)

plural minibuses · plural minibusses

  1. A small bus, especially one used as transport for small groups.

    Just south of Durness, at Keoldale, is a passenger-ferry across the Kyle of Durness. It links up during the summer months with a minibus service to the lonely Cape Wrath lighthouse, built of granite in 1827 on a headland 400 ft above the sea.

    1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 157

    Synonyms: jitney

  2. South AfricaA sixteen-seater vehicle used as a taxi.

    Police are still searching for the gunmen who hijacked the minibus carrying school pupils taking two of the children with them.

    2006 May 13, Weekend Argus, 14, p.6

    Synonyms: kombi

  3. historicalA small four-wheeled carriage.
  4. USgovernmentA combined spending bill for multiple departments that is smaller than an omnibus bill.

    The minibus is the first of two funding packages the House hopes to pass this month.

    2020 July 25, Danielle Haynes, “House passes 4-bill spending package”, in UPI

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA small bus, especially one used as transport for small groups.

Similar
jitney

nounA sixteen-seater vehicle used as a taxi.

Similar
kombi
Also see
jitneyvan

Origin

From mini- + bus. In the political sense, probably a back-formation from omnibus.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic مِيكْرُوبَاص, مِينِيبَاص
  • مِيكْرُوبَاص (mīkrūbāṣ)a small bus — see also marshrutka
  • مِينِيبَاص (mīnībāṣ)a small bus — see also marshrutka
Bengali মিনিবাস
  • মিনিবাস (minibaś)a small bus — see also marshrutka
Bulgarian минибу́с
  • минибу́с (minibús)a small bus — see also marshrutka
Chinese Cantonese 小巴, 𨋍
  • 小巴 (siu² baa¹)a small bus — see also marshrutka
  • 𨋍 (wen¹)a small bus — see also marshrutka
Chinese Mandarin 麵包車 /面包车, 小巴
  • 麵包車 /面包车 (miànbāochē)a small bus — see also marshrutka
  • 小巴 (xiǎobā)a small bus — see also marshrutka
Czech minibus
  • minibusa small bus — see also marshrutka
Danish minibus
  • minibusa small bus — see also marshrutka
Dutch busje
  • busjea small bus — see also marshrutka
Esperanto buseto
  • busetoa small bus — see also marshrutka
Estonian väikebuss, kutsikas
  • väikebussa small bus — see also marshrutka
  • kutsikasa small bus — see also marshrutka
Finnish minibussi
  • minibussia small bus — see also marshrutka
French minibus
  • minibusa small bus — see also marshrutka
German Kleinbus, Minibus
  • Kleinbusa small bus — see also marshrutka
  • Minibusa small bus — see also marshrutka
Hebrew מִינִיבּוּס
  • מִינִיבּוּס (mínibus)a small bus — see also marshrutka
Hindi मिनीबस, छोटी बस
  • मिनीबस (minības)a small bus — see also marshrutka
  • छोटी बस (choṭī bas)a small bus — see also marshrutka
Indonesian bus mini, minibus
  • bus minia small bus — see also marshrutka
  • minibusa small bus — see also marshrutka
Italian minibus
  • minibusa small bus — see also marshrutka
Japanese マイクロバス
  • マイクロバス (maikurobasu)a small bus — see also marshrutka
Korean 승합차, 미니버스
  • 승합차 (seunghapcha)a small bus — see also marshrutka
  • 미니버스 (minibeoseu)a small bus — see also marshrutka
  • 마이크로버스 (maikeurobeoseu)a small bus — see also marshrutka
Latvian mikroautobuss, minibuss
  • mikroautobussa small bus — see also marshrutka
  • minibussa small bus — see also marshrutka
Lithuanian mikroautobusas, mikrobusas
  • mikroautobusasa small bus — see also marshrutka
  • mikrobusasa small bus — see also marshrutka
Malay bas mini
  • bas minia small bus — see also marshrutka
Norwegian Bokmål minibuss
  • minibussa small bus — see also marshrutka
Polish mikrobus
  • mikrobusa small bus — see also marshrutka
Portuguese micro-ônibus
  • micro-ônibusa small bus — see also marshrutka
Romanian microbuz, maxi-taxi
  • microbuza small bus — see also marshrutka
  • maxi-taxia small bus — see also marshrutka
Russian микроавто́бус, микро́бус
  • микроавто́бус (mikroavtóbus)a small bus — see also marshrutka
  • микро́бус (mikróbus)a small bus — see also marshrutka
  • минибу́с (minibús)a small bus — see also marshrutka
  • маршру́тка (maršrútka)a small bus — see also marshrutka
Slovak mikrobus, minibus
  • mikrobusa small bus — see also marshrutka
  • minibusa small bus — see also marshrutka
Spanish microbús, minibús
  • microbúsa small bus — see also marshrutka
  • minibúsa small bus — see also marshrutka
Swahili minibasi
  • minibasia small bus — see also marshrutka
Tamil சிற்றுந்து
  • சிற்றுந்து (ciṟṟuntu)a small bus — see also marshrutka
Thai มินิบัส, รถบัสเล็ก
  • มินิบัสa small bus — see also marshrutka
  • รถบัสเล็กa small bus — see also marshrutka
Turkish minibüs
  • minibüsa small bus — see also marshrutka
Ukrainian мікроавто́бус, мікро́бус
  • мікроавто́бус (mikroavtóbus)a small bus — see also marshrutka
  • мікро́бус (mikróbus)a small bus — see also marshrutka
  • мінібу́с (minibús)a small bus — see also marshrutka
Vietnamese xe buýt mini
  • xe buýt minia small bus — see also marshrutka
Welsh bws mini
  • bws minia small bus — see also marshrutka
Yiddish מיניבוס
  • מיניבוס (minibus)a small bus — see also marshrutka

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

minisub
Cite this entry
APA

minibus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/minibus

MLA

“minibus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/minibus. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “minibus,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/minibus.

Source: minibus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.