mass transit

noun

chiefly US
: the transportation of large numbers of people by means of buses, subway trains, etc., especially within urban areas
also : the system, vehicles, or facilities engaged in such transportation
I rode mass transit—first the bus, then Metro—for nearly two decades. —Fred Barnes

Examples of mass transit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The legislation is expected to raise more than $1 billion for the region’s mass transit systems annually with the help of a sales tax hike and a diversion of the state’s sales tax on motor fuel to public transit. — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026 If not, the critics say, the nearly 10 miles of Kendall Drive covered by the transit-zoning measures could be radically transformed by new, high-density development long before any mass transit arrives to provide relief. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026 Being in a busy location like Warner Center with growing access to mass transit offers tenants more opportunities to engage with the city. — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 Gloria’s Climate Action Plan received national attention, yet, along with his mass transit plans, was attacked from the left for doing too little and the right for doing anything at all. — Carl Luna, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mass transit

Word History

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mass transit was in 1930

Rhymes for mass transit

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Browse Nearby Words

masstone
mass transit
massula
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Cite this Entry

“Mass transit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mass%20transit. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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