commute

[kuh-myoot]

verb (used with object)

commuted, commuting 

1. to change (a prison sentence or other penalty) to a less severe one.

   The death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

2. to exchange for another or for something else; give and take reciprocally; interchange.

3. to change.

   to commute base metal into gold.

4. to change (one kind of payment) into or for another, as by substitution.

verb (used without object)

commuted, commuting 

1. to travel regularly over some distance, as from a suburb into a city and back.

   He commutes to work by train.

2. to make substitution.

3. to serve as a substitute.

4. to make a collective payment, especially of a reduced amount, as an equivalent for a number of payments.

5. Mathematics.,  to give the same result whether operating on the left or on the right.

noun

1. a trip made by commuting.

   It's a long commute from his home to his office.

2. an act or instance of commuting.

commute

/ kəˈmjuːt /

verb

1. (intr) to travel some distance regularly between one's home and one's place of work

2. (tr) to substitute; exchange

3. (tr) law to reduce (a sentence) to one less severe

4. to pay (an annuity) at one time, esp with a discount, instead of in instalments

5. (tr) to transform; change

   to commute base metal into gold

6. (intr) to act as or be a substitute

7. (intr) to make a substitution; change

noun

1. a journey made by commuting

commute

1. 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.

Other Word Forms

• uncommuted adjective
• commutable adjective
• commutability noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of commute¹

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” ( com- ) + mūtāre “to change”

Word History and Origins

Origin of commute¹

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

Example Sentences

With fewer apartments in urban cores, more renters would also likely live farther away, forcing them to commute, which comes with its own set of risks.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It is by any stretch, a hefty weekly commute and coupled with a young family and a demanding job, she says it became too big a challenge.

Read more on BBC

A Treasury source said: "Extending the DLR to Thamesmead will deliver much needed new homes, new jobs and quicker commutes - the building blocks for boosting growth, putting more pounds in pockets."

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The employment office also mentions that transportation will be provided, a new concern as “commuting” is normalized.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

For about five years we lived in White Sulphur while he commuted back and forth.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• shorten