bureau

[ byoor-oh ]

noun

, plural bu·reaus, bu·reaux [byoor, -ohz].

1. a chest of drawers, often with a mirror at the top.
2. a division of a government department or an independent administrative unit.
3. an office for collecting or distributing news or information, coordinating work, or performing specified services; agency:

   a travel bureau; a news bureau.

4. Chiefly British. a desk or writing table with drawers for papers.

bureau

/ ˈbjʊərəʊ /

noun

1. a writing desk with pigeonholes, drawers, etc, against which the writing surface can be closed when not in use
2. a chest of drawers
3. an office or agency, esp one providing services for the public
4. 1. a government department
   2. a branch of a government department

Other Words From

• subbureau noun plural subbureaus subbureaux

Word History and Origins

Origin of bureau¹

1710–20; < French: desk, office, originally a kind of cloth (used to cover desks, etc.), Anglo-French, Old French burel, equivalent to bur- (probably < *būra, variant of Late Latin burra wool, fluff ; bourrée ) + -el noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of bureau¹

C17: from French: desk, office, originally: type of cloth used for covering desks and tables, from Old French burel , from Late Latin burra shaggy cloth

Example Sentences

But Trump has since soured on Wray, whose bureau has been arrested scores of people who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

From Salon

Qatar has hosted Hamas’s political bureau since 2012 and played a key role in facilitating indirect negotiations between the group and Israel.

From BBC

The department was announced by Trump as a cost-cutting bureau focused on slashing "wasteful expenditures," with few details about how his administration intends to make the department an official government body.

From Salon

In a 5-4 decision involving the credit bureau TransUnion in 2021, the court declared that it is not enough for a plaintiff to sue over a defendant’s violation of a federal statute.

From Los Angeles Times

Unemployment in the state dropped to 5.6% in September, according to the labor bureau.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• agency
• authority
• board
• commission
• committee
• department
• division
• office