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

/ 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 Word Forms

• subbureau noun

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

He watches a clip where Stack touts that The Truth Teller has 100 men covering Ohio politics, 300 more in Washington, New York, and foreign bureaus all over the world.

From Salon

Andrew Rosenthal, a former reporter, editor and columnist, was Moscow bureau chief for the Associated Press and Washington editor and later editorial page editor for the New York Times.

From Los Angeles Times

Since 2023, RT has opened a bureau in Algeria, launched a TV service in Serbian, and started free training programmes aimed at journalists from Africa, Southeast Asia, India, and China.

From BBC

The document alleged that Fox News fired political analyst Chris Stirewalt and longtime Washington bureau executives Bill Sammon for their involvement in calling the state of Arizona for Biden on election night.

From Los Angeles Times

His job is to crush the bureau as part of a Trumpian revenge fantasy, while weaponizing its authority for political purposes.

From Salon

Related Words

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