Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

commuter

American  
[kuh-myoo-ter] / kəˈmyu tər /

noun

  1. a person who commutes, especially between home and work.

adjective

  1. of or for commuting; serving commuters.

    a commuter railroad.

  2. of or relating to a flight, plane, or airline that carries passengers over relatively short distances and usually serves small communities.

commuter British  
/ kəˈmjuːtə /

noun

    1. a person who travels to work over an appreciable distance, usually from the suburbs to the centre of a city

    2. ( as modifier )

      the commuter belt
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of commuter

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65; commute + -er 1

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing commuter

Eleven

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

The Worst Class Trip Ever

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

No Easy Answers: Our Digital World and "Gadgets and Games"

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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

"This is their livelihood, they had mouths to feed, they need to live. As a commuter, I need to understand their situation as well."

From BBC • Mar. 26, 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 project overseen by the Gateway Development Commission was constructing new tunnels for commuter rail trains to cross the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

As a result of the delay he misses his commuter rail connection in Boston, waits another forty minutes for the next one.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

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.