commuter
Americannoun
adjective
-
of or for commuting; serving commuters.
a commuter railroad.
-
of or relating to a flight, plane, or airline that carries passengers over relatively short distances and usually serves small communities.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of commuter
Explanation
A commuter is someone who has a lengthy trip to work, usually from a suburb to a city. Some people are lucky enough to work at home or live very close to where they work. Others are commuters: commuters need to commute — travel — to work. Being a commuter isn't easy, because it might take anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours to get from home to work and then back again, both times during rush hour. Usually, a commuter lives in the suburbs and commutes to the city, where many jobs are.
Vocabulary lists containing commuter
Eleven
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The Worst Class Trip Ever
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No Easy Answers: Our Digital World and "Gadgets and Games"
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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:
A commuter uses a personal fan as they walk in the sunshine across London Bridge, during a heatwave, in central London on June 24, 2026.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Picture this: Rick, a middle-aged daily commuter who enjoys podcasts and occasionally takes calls from his teenager, opts for audio-only smartglasses because he doesn’t like the feel of earbuds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
But the long-awaited automated people mover — considered by some to be a crucial missing link in the region’s commuter rail network — has yet to transport a single passenger.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
Hotel housekeepers won a contract this week that will have them earning six figures in coming years, joining the city’s commuter train workers, doormen and nurses in notching gains this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
“Somebody hung a pair of corn husk sandals on the high-voltage wires by the commuter line. I wonder who they belong to. I called Brad Pitt, but he’s wearing his.”
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
Willie Hamilton, Lothian Buses chief operating officer, said the current closures posed a "significant challenge" to operators and commuters.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, I compared loneliness with three proxies for modern convenience: working from home, broadband-enabled living, and the share of commuters who still move through public or pedestrian space.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The sunken and overcrowded area where New Jersey commuters must wait for oft-delayed trains is unaffectionately known as “the Pit.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
“I’m not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years to come,” Sherrill said in a statement.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026
Of course, the 2 train’s packed with commuters, and the 7’s even worse.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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.
