trolleybus

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UK/tɹɒlɪbʌs/

A form of trolley bus — A bus, powered via overhead electric cables, that does not run on tracks.

Similar
trolley coachtrackless trolley
OriginEnglish bus ← French omnibus ← Latin omnibu →
UncommonScrabble 15
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Meanings

nountrolleybus (plural trolleybuses or trolleybusses)

plural trolleybuses · plural trolleybusses

  1. alternativeAlternative form of trolley bus.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna passenger bus with an electric motor that draws power from overhead wires

Similar
trolley coachtrackless trolley
Broader
busautobuscoach

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*truzlōną
  2. Middle High Germantrollen
  3. Old Frenchtroller
  4. Middle Englishtrollen
  5. Englishtroll
  6. Englishtrolley
  7. Proto-Indo-European*h₃ep-
  8. Proto-Italic*opnis
  9. Latinomnis
  10. Latinomnibu
  11. Frenchomnibus
  12. Englishomnibusclip.
  13. Englishbus
  14. Englishtrolleybus

From trolley + bus.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Tollesbury
Cite this entry
APA

trolleybus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trolleybus

MLA

“trolleybus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trolleybus. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “trolleybus,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trolleybus.

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