commuter
Americannoun
adjective
-
of or for commuting; serving commuters.
a commuter railroad.
-
of or relating to a flight, plane, or airline that carries passengers over relatively short distances and usually serves small communities.
noun
Etymology
Origin of commuter
Explanation
A commuter is someone who has a lengthy trip to work, usually from a suburb to a city. Some people are lucky enough to work at home or live very close to where they work. Others are commuters: commuters need to commute — travel — to work. Being a commuter isn't easy, because it might take anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours to get from home to work and then back again, both times during rush hour. Usually, a commuter lives in the suburbs and commutes to the city, where many jobs are.
Vocabulary lists containing commuter
Eleven
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The Worst Class Trip Ever
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No Easy Answers: Our Digital World and "Gadgets and Games"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For example, EVs well-suited to serving as daily commuter cars that rarely leave a city can cost much less than fast-charging range monsters ready to challenge gas vehicles on road trips.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
"I think their reaction is valid given higher pump prices, but as a commuter, as a student with a limited budget, it's difficult," she said.
From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026
With working from home affecting commuter demand, and shopping increasingly involving mouse clicks rather than footsteps, its city-centre and commuter car parks have had reduced occupancy.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
In Rahway, N.J., a popular commuter town that’s part of the New York–Newark–Jersey City metropolitan area, the average home was valued at around $310,000 in December 2019.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 11, 2026
The commuter flights that drone across Africa are often jammed with people, and this flight was probably full.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
