'antibusing' originates from English, specifically the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against') combined with 'busing' (from 'bus' + the gerund/verb-forming suffix '-ing'), where 'anti-' meant 'against' and 'bus' ultimately comes from 'omnibus' (Latin).

'bus' was shortened from the 19th-century term 'omnibus' (Latin 'omnibus' meaning 'for all'); the verb 'to bus' and the gerund 'busing' developed in English to mean transporting by bus; 'antibusing' arose in the mid-20th century English usage to denote opposition to the busing policies used for school desegregation.

Initially formed simply as a compound meaning 'against busing,' it has retained that core sense but came to be associated specifically with political and social movements opposing school desegregation programs implemented by busing.