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• commune
  commune

  verb (used without object)

  to converse or talk together, usually with profound intensity, intimacy, etc.; interchange thoughts or feelings.
• Commune
  Commune

  noun

  See Paris Commune

commune

¹ American  

[kuh-myoon, kom-yoon] / kəˈmjun, ˈkɒm jun /

verb (used without object)

communed, communing

1. to converse or talk together, usually with profound intensity, intimacy, etc.; interchange thoughts or feelings.

2. to be in intimate communication or rapport.

   to commune with nature.

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noun

1. interchange of ideas or sentiments.

commune ² American  

[kom-yoon] / ˈkɒm jun /

noun

1. a small group of persons living together, sharing possessions, work, income, etc., and often pursuing unconventional lifestyles.

2. a close-knit community of people who share common interests.

3. the smallest administrative division in France, Italy, Switzerland, etc., governed by a mayor assisted by a municipal council.

4. a similar division in some other country.

5. any community organized for the protection and promotion of local interests, and subordinate to the state.

6. the government or citizens of a commune.

7. people's commune.

8. Also called Commune of Paris,.  Also called Paris Commune.  the Commune.

   1. a revolutionary committee that took the place of the municipality of Paris in the revolution of 1789, usurped the authority of the state, and was suppressed by the National Convention in 1794.

   2. a socialistic government of Paris from March 18 to May 27, 1871.

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commune ³ American  

[kuh-myoon] / kəˈmjun /

verb (used without object)

communed, communing

1. to partake of the Eucharist.

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commune ¹ British  

/ ˈkɒmjuːn /

noun

1. a group of families or individuals living together and sharing possessions and responsibilities

2. any small group of people having common interests or responsibilities

3. the smallest administrative unit in Belgium, France, Italy, and Switzerland, governed by a mayor and council

4. the government or inhabitants of a commune

5. a medieval town enjoying a large degree of autonomy

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commune ² British  

verb

1. to talk or converse intimately

2. to experience strong emotion or spiritual feelings (for)

   to commune with nature

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noun

1. intimate conversation; exchange of thoughts; communion

Commune ³ British  

/ ˈkɒmjuːn /

noun

1. See Paris Commune

2. a committee that governed Paris during the French Revolution and played a leading role in the Reign of Terror: suppressed 1794

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commune ⁴ British  

/ kəˈmjuːn /

verb

1. (intr) Christianity to partake of Communion

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Other Word Forms

• communer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of commune¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English com(m)unen “to share, have in common, associate with, tell stories, communicate,” from Middle French com(m)uner, com(m)uniier “to make common, have in common, share,” derivative of comun common

Origin of commune²

First recorded in 1785–95; from French, from Medieval Latin commūna, commūnia (feminine singular), alteration of Latin commūne (neuter singular), or commūnia (neuter plural) “community, state,” originally neuter of commūnis common

Origin of commune³

First recorded in 1325–1375; Middle English; back formation from communion

Explanation

A commune is a group living situation where people share everything. Communes were popular with the peace-loving hippies of the 1960s. In Europe, a commune is a small administrative district. But in America, it's a way of life. A bunch of people with similar beliefs might all decide to get a big house and live communally, sharing the cooking, bills, and everything else. You can also commune with something, like nature: that means to be in tune with nature and very receptive to it. To commune can also mean to receive the Catholic communion.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

commune Commune communed communing

Rebecca Papin, a French-American visiting her holiday home in the commune of Biscarrosse, near to the Cap Ferret peninsula, saw a large plume of smoke in the distance on Thursday.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

He wrote a goodbye note and left the small commune in the Pyrenees in the dead of night.

From BBC ● May 13, 2026

There are around 30 of us, maybe more — all experiencing the soundscape of the quartz bowls; a tech-free hour designed for us to commune with memory, creativity and emotion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026

Most of the 18 passengers were teachers from Hanoi on a charity trip to Lao Cai province, where the accident occurred on a long downhill stretch in Phinh Ho commune.

From Barron's ● Dec. 27, 2025

Onofre’s other duties included being the chief procurer of the stand’s beef, which he bought mainly from the hippies at the Evening Star commune on Strawberry Mesa.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Izabela Jurkowska-Hanus, the district prosecutor in Sanok, which covers Bukowsko Commune, told TVN24 that as of that time, there were no other circumstances that suggest a cause of death other than the one reported.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

In St. Louis, strike committees, the so-called St. Louis Commune, briefly governed before troops crushed the uprising.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025

Later this year, Commune, a residential housing developer based in France, will open a development for single-parent households in the Paris suburbs with space for 14 families.

From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2023

By 1911, it had spread to socialist women in Europe, with events in Vienna, though these were held March 18 in honor of the Paris Commune, according to Miller.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 8, 2022

Commune with the spirits, the diviner had said.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

“The Greeks believed that sleeping on a grave might give you dreams in which you communed with a spirit,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2025

There, he visited the Musée du Luxembourg and communed with paintings by Cézanne that became “clearer and more beautiful if you were belly-empty, hollow-hungry.”

From New York Times ● May 15, 2023

Worshippers have already prayed and communed at the site on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island, while the general public will be allowed in next month.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2023

Years later, Morris communed with JFK’s memory regularly, as a volunteer tour guide at the Kennedy Center.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 20, 2021

“I have not communed with another daraja in years.”

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Post-release he lives in self-exile in Bangkok, communing online with clients back in Myanmar.

From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025

Although there are no figurative features at all, they appear to be communing among themselves and with you.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025

Like Ann, Seyfried is wholly committed to the vision, singing, dancing and reaching her hands to God with such celestial fervor that it feels as though she really is communing with something unseen.

From Salon ● Dec. 5, 2025

Hikers jostling for space on packed trails have turned communing with nature into a contact sport.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2024

I’m only allowed to use the camp phone once a week because we’re supposed to be communing with nature!

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

Related Words

• cooperative
• kibbutz
• municipality
• village