commute

American  

[kuh-myoot] / kəˈmyut /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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noun

1. a journey made by commuting

commute Scientific  

/ kə-myo̅o̅t′ /

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.

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Other Word Forms

• commutability noun
• commutable adjective
• uncommuted adjective

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” ( com- ) + mūtāre “to change”

Example Sentences

"In terms of raw affordability, £4 on your commute a day is not bad - especially in the cost of living crisis."

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Its Soviet-era power grid already needed upgrades before the blockade; now without fuel, Cubans can’t commute to work or school.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Patterson has been working remotely since the pandemic and estimates he is saving $200 in gas each month by skipping the commute.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

It has provided the backdrop for iconic photos of US presidents for decades and is often dubbed the "45-second commute" as it takes the commander-in-chief from the Oval Office to private quarters.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

What else but this fever could commute my father’s ghost crying, “Jezebel!” into a curl of blue smoke drifting out through a small, bright hole in the thatch?

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• shorten