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
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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:
"My first choice was Manchester and then my second was Liverpool, so I knew I could commute," she says, adding that the price of accommodation would have been "a few grand a year".
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
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
Yet another summer heatwave could be on the way to make your commute sweaty and your workplace stuffy.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
In order to commute more efficiendy between their opulent Connecticut manor and an art-filled apartment on Central Park West staffed with uniformed servants, she and her husband bought a helicopter and learned to fly it.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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
Caleb Tutt's life looks much like that of many Gen Z professionals in London - rent, student debt and a routine shaped by commutes and convenience food.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
The benefits of hybrid work were particularly strong for women and people with longer commutes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 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
Full-time jobs, commutes, and children or parents who need care often get in the way.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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
In many other cases, the courts handed out jail terms or suspended death sentences, which get commuted to life imprisonment after a specified duration.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Last week, Polis tried to quietly announce that he had commuted her nine-year prison sentence, but the news immediately caught fire.
From Slate ● May 21, 2026
In a letter to Peters released Friday, Polis, a Democrat, said he had commuted her sentence to 4 years and 4.5 months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
She commuted two hours a day, three days a week, to her first year of university classes.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
His father, a lawyer, bought a flat close to both the high court and Kahaan's school, commuting between the two cities while Kahaan lived with his mother Veena and younger brother Rihaan.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
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
Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey said commuting habits have changed and far fewer school children walk to school, according to a Reuters report.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Fiat is positioning the Topolino as an alternative option for a growing cohort of motorists considering a low-speed vehicle, such as a golf cart, for daily commuting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
I explained that Barack was settling into life in D.C., commuting home when he could.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
