commute

[ kuh-myoot ]

See synonyms for: commute commuting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),com·mut·ed, com·mut·ing.

to change (a prison sentence or other penalty) to a less severe one: The death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
to exchange for another or for something else; give and take reciprocally; interchange.

to change: to commute base metal into gold.
to change (one kind of payment) into or for another, as by substitution.

verb (used without object),com·mut·ed, com·mut·ing.

to travel regularly over some distance, as from a suburb into a city and back: He commutes to work by train.
to make substitution.

to serve as a substitute.
to make a collective payment, especially of a reduced amount, as an equivalent for a number of payments.
Mathematics. to give the same result whether operating on the left or on the right.

noun

a trip made by commuting: It's a long commute from his home to his office.
an act or instance of commuting.

Origin of commute

First recorded in 1400–50, and in 1885–90 for def. 5; late Middle English, from Latin commūtāre “to change, replace, exchange,” equivalent to com- “with, together” (see com-) + mūtāre “to change”

Other words from commute

un·com·mut·ed, adjective

Words that may be confused with commute

commute , forgive, pardon

Words Nearby commute

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use commute in a sentence

There’s no commute, there’s no lunchtime or after work drinks.
‘Chronically understaffed’: Confessions of an agency exec on the cost of online advertising’s Covid growth | Seb Joseph | February 11, 2021 | Digiday
These are issued when questionable weather overlaps with the commute but is not quite enough for an advisory.
PM Update: Patchy, light freezing rain is a risk late tonight into early Tuesday | Ian Livingston | February 8, 2021 | Washington Post
For a cold commute, the best winter gloves will allow you to use touch screen technology without going barehanded.
Best winter gloves: Our picks for touch screen gloves, ski gloves, and more | PopSci Commerce Team | February 2, 2021 | Popular-Science
At one point, before her hour-long commute, she reportedly mentioned that her hands were cold.
The handwarming story of how Bernie Sanders got his inauguration mittens | Travis Andrews | January 21, 2021 | Washington Post
As workers return to offices, they may still feel most comfortable with socially distant commutes rather than public transit.
The Pandemic Bike Boom Is Here to Stay | Joe Lindsey | January 16, 2021 | Outside Online

The rapid rise of the sharing economy is changing the way people around the world commute, shop, vacation, and borrow.
Why Do ‘Progressives’ Want to Ban Uber and AirBnB? | Adam Thierer, Christopher Koopman | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A tense commute to work in Houston will start to resemble a tense commute in Boston or New York City.
Will Texas Stay Texan? | David Fontana | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It meant a serious commute, and a few quibbles from the locals about jumping to a rival, but Malania put in the hours.
Native American Basketball Team in Wyoming Have Hoop Dreams Of Their Own | Robert Silverman | August 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Stephanie lives in the Bronx and works in Manhattan, a commute that should take 45 minutes.
Leaky Ceilings, Catcalls, and Uncaged Pythons: 4 Hours on NYC’s Worst Subway | Kevin Zawacki | August 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He will spend the rest of his commute sedentary, and she upright.
Leaky Ceilings, Catcalls, and Uncaged Pythons: 4 Hours on NYC’s Worst Subway | Kevin Zawacki | August 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
McAllen didn't look in the least like a man who could afford nowadays to commute by air between the Mediterranean and California.
Gone Fishing | James H. Schmitz
His voice was for the gallows,—but, in consideration of the criminal's rank, he would consent to commute the cord for the axe.
The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 13, No. 78, April, 1864 | Various
When a man wanted to commute then he paid a monthly fee to the railroad and they printed his name on this official list.
The Modern Railroad | Edward Hungerford
Did you commute back and forth from your sister's home in Irving?
Warren Commission (2 of 26): Hearings Vol. II (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
I've got enough money to commute, when the time comes, and I'll feel a lot better if I go through with it now I've started.
The Flying U's Last Stand | B. M. Bower

British Dictionary definitions for commute

commute

/ (kəˈmjuːt) /

verb

(intr) to travel some distance regularly between one's home and one's place of work
(tr) to substitute; exchange

(tr) law to reduce (a sentence) to one less severe
to pay (an annuity) at one time, esp with a discount, instead of in instalments
(tr) to transform; change: to commute base metal into gold
(intr) to act as or be a substitute
(intr) to make a substitution; change

noun

a journey made by commuting

Origin of commute

C17: from Latin commutāre to replace, from com- mutually + mutāre to change

Derived forms of commute

commutable, adjective
commutability or commutableness, noun

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

Scientific definitions for commute

commute

[ kə-myōōt′ ]

To yield the same result regardless of order. For example, numbers commute under addition, which is a commutative operation. Generally, any two operators H and G commute if their commutator is zero, i.e. HG - GH = 0.

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