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View synonyms for

bureau

[ byoor-oh ]

noun

plural bureaus, bureaux
  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

/ ˈʊəəʊ /

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
    1. a government department
    2. a branch of a government department
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • ܲbr𲹳 noun plural subbureaus subbureaux
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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 < *ū, variant of Late Latin burra wool, fluff ; dzܰé ) + -el noun suffix
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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
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

There could be more challenges ahead, such as allegations of budget mismanagement, which have begun to emerge after Indonesia's anti-graft bureau flagged a "real possibility" of fraud in March.

From

He was one of them, a veteran bureau man, and now he was suspected of betraying his oath and his country.

From

To be fair, many of these provisions are rarely used - India's crime records bureau tracks around 50 laws, even though 370 carry criminal penalties.

From

In an interview with The Times this week, he suggested the department could also downsize its information bureau — which he said “puts out basically PR stories” — and assign more people to handle public records requests.

From

Some Californians jokingly referred to the commission then, the history said, as the railroad’s “literary bureau” — its public relations arm.

From

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