commute
Americanverb (used with object)
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commutes,
present (3rd person singular)
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commuted,
past participle, past
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commuting
present participle
-
to change (a prison sentence or other penalty) to a less severe one.
The death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
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to exchange for another or for something else; give and take reciprocally; interchange.
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to change.
to commute base metal into gold.
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to change (one kind of payment) into or for another, as by substitution.
verb (used without object)
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commutes,
present (3rd person singular)
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commuted,
past participle, past
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commuting
present participle
-
to travel regularly over some distance, as from a suburb into a city and back.
He commutes to work by train.
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to make substitution.
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to serve as a substitute.
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to make a collective payment, especially of a reduced amount, as an equivalent for a number of payments.
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Mathematics. to give the same result whether operating on the left or on the right.
noun
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commutes
plural
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a trip made by commuting.
It's a long commute from his home to his office.
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an act or instance of commuting.
verb
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(intr) to travel some distance regularly between one's home and one's place of work
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(tr) to substitute; exchange
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(tr) law to reduce (a sentence) to one less severe
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to pay (an annuity) at one time, esp with a discount, instead of in instalments
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(tr) to transform; change
to commute base metal into gold
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(intr) to act as or be a substitute
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(intr) to make a substitution; change
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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commutesimple
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commutessimple
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have commutedperfect
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has commutedperfect
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am commutingprogressive
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are commutingprogressive
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is commutingprogressive
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have been commutingperfect progressive
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has been commutingperfect progressive
Past
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commutedsimple
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had commutedperfect
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was commutingprogressive
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were commutingprogressive
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had been commutingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of commute
First recorded in 1400–50, and in 1885–90 commute for def. 5; late Middle English, from Latin commūtāre “to change, replace, exchange,” equivalent to com- “with, together” ( see com-) + mūtāre “to change”
Explanation
A commute is a journey you take from home to work and back again. You might enjoy your subway commute because it gives you lots of time to read. Your commute is your trip to work, and the verb commute describes making that trip — like your preference to commute by public bus. Another meaning of commute describes changing the length of a judicial sentence, like when a judge commutes someone's time in jail. You can see this meaning in the word's origin — the Latin word commutare, meaning "to change altogether."
Vocabulary lists containing commute
Born a Crime
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Just Mercy
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From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
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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.
See Examples For:
University professor Oh Ji-hye for years walked past the village without going inside, opting instead for AI readings during her commute.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
While half-hour runs and swims registered fine, it consistently failed to recognize short but vigorous 20-minute walks and my 40-minute, hilly bike commute to work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Smith says she doesn't notice it in her Devon community, but it's something she's observed on the commute between Plymouth and London.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
“It’s blindingly, flashingly obvious that the more onerous the commute is, the lower the occupancy rates,” Quick said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Excited, he jumped in his car and drove around Montgomery to inspect other buses during the morning commute.
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
He still commutes back to Bristol twice a week to play football and added he "catches the traffic in Chepstow but other than football I look to stay in the Forest as much as possible".
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
"Younger generations grow up with politics alongside their memes, their family pictures and their daily commutes."
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Public transit has become a more favorable option for some — weekday commutes on the Metro increased by nearly 8% from January to May.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
Yet the spread of work-from-home abilities has been a win for people with disabilities, workers with young families or people with long commutes, said Bloom.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
There might even be time to enjoy it all, now that they had ten-minute commutes by bus as opposed to ninety-minute treks by train and on foot.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
Suu Kyi, now 81, was moved to house arrest later that month after Min Aung Hlaing said he had commuted the rest of her sentence.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Habtom acknowledged he had "made a mistake without knowing it" and hoped that his sentence could be commuted to prison time.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
He and Lind commuted to the Valley from Redondo Beach, where they crashed on the floor of Lind’s brother’s place.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Although Tom was ultimately condemned to death, Virginia’s governor commuted his sentence to sale and transportation outside of the area.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Her sentence of death was once more commuted to transportation, this time for life.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
He's been based in a Times Square studio but one of his fellow podcasters Micah Richards has been commuting back and forth, external from the Big Apple to Salford to fulfil his BBC duties.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Fiat is positioning it for use in resorts and neighborhoods or for commuting, noting that many golf-cart owners buy those vehicles today for use outside of a course.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
After the July deadline, DeGaetano wrote to Nieporte: “We have both junior and senior employees commuting over one hour each way to work, and yet you feel this policy doesn’t apply to you.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
But smaller retailers still appear to be promoting e-scooters for commuting or riding in towns and cities.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
“You and me commuting together. We should get matching Chumley travel mugs. They sell them at the gift shop.”
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
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.
