to converse or talk together, usually with profound intensity, intimacy, etc.; interchange thoughts or feelings.
to be in intimate communication or rapport.
to commune with nature.
a small group of persons living together, sharing possessions, work, income, etc., and often pursuing unconventional lifestyles.
a close-knit community of people who share common interests.
the smallest administrative division in France, Italy, Switzerland, etc., governed by a mayor assisted by a municipal council.
a similar division in some other country.
any community organized for the protection and promotion of local interests, and subordinate to the state.
the government or citizens of a commune.
Also called Commune of Paris,. Also called Paris Commune. the Commune.
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.
a socialistic government of Paris from March 18 to May 27, 1871.
a group of families or individuals living together and sharing possessions and responsibilities
any small group of people having common interests or responsibilities
the smallest administrative unit in Belgium, France, Italy, and Switzerland, governed by a mayor and council
the government or inhabitants of a commune
a medieval town enjoying a large degree of autonomy
to talk or converse intimately
to experience strong emotion or spiritual feelings (for)
to commune with nature
See Paris Commune
a committee that governed Paris during the French Revolution and played a leading role in the Reign of Terror: suppressed 1794
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
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
First recorded in 1325–1375; Middle English; back formation from communion
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As children, cattle and lambs happily commune with bears, lions and wolves in the foreground, the background depicts William Penn making a treaty with Tamanend, chief of the Lenape Nation, and founding Pennsylvania.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
After the explosion at an apartment building near Monaco's border with France, a suspect was seen fleeing towards the French commune of Beausoleil.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
He also visits a religious commune and witnesses actual generosity only to remain apathetic about repentance or emotional growth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
And he was born in Bondy, the Paris commune where Kylian Mbappe and William Saliba come from.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
Instead of answering these questions directly, Madame finished her meal and announced her pressing need for a glass of sherry and a meditative nap, so she might commune with the spirits in earnest.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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
The group “Friends of the Commune 1871” also launched a petition to block the classification, arguing that it was “a provocation.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 12, 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
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
I went to blues parties in dark basements, where black queer folk communed.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 2, 2020
He founded the Patuxent Riverkeeper and took up the mantle as a public voice of the river — the river with which he had so often communed.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 17, 2020
“I have not communed with another daraja in years.”
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Haddock told Salon that he grew up celebrating Juneteenth as a sort of church day, communing with his family and community.
From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026
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
The proposed court location is not, as Dahn states, in the middle of a shady grove of majestic giants, owls in every tree, people silently communing with nature.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 2023
“I am communing with the alligator,” I said.
From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo
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.
