commute

American  

[kuh-myoot] / kəˈmyut /

verb (used with object)

commutes, present (3rd person singular) commuted, past participle, past commuting present participle

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)

commutes, present (3rd person singular) commuted, past participle, past commuting present participle

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

Derived Forms

• commutable
  adjective
• commutability
  noun
• uncommuted
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have commuted
  perfect
• has commuted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• has been commuting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• am commuting
  progressive 1st person singular
• are commuting
  progressive
• commuting
  participle
• commutes
  singular 3rd person
• have been commuting
  perfect progressive
• is commuting
  progressive 3rd person singular

Past

• had commuted
  perfect
• had been commuting
  perfect progressive
• was commuting
  progressive singular
• commuted
  simple
• commuted
  participle
• were commuting
  progressive plural

Future

• will commute
  simple
• will have commuted
  perfect
• will be commuting
  progressive
• will have been commuting
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

“We have a lot more people just trying to commute with them, and for them, a bigger bike isn’t an advantage,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

While the jingle could be pulled from the air again depending on the result of the appeal, for now, it will remain a part of your morning commute in California.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

I lived in the basement of a distant aunt I’d never met, and the commute from Jamaica, Queens, was over an hour.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

O'Farrell shows me where she writes, taking me down her garden, "my commute to work," past a treehouse and a run for the rescue tortoise, to her glass-framed studio.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

“But I admit it, this is a letdown. Long commute, dull job, no social life.”

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

Related Words

• shorten