commuter
Americannoun
-
commuters
plural
adjective
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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:
The i Paper says new housing developments near train stations are set to be fast-tracked in a major expansion of commuter villages and towns.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Los Angeles commuter Phillip Lee monitors prices in town for the best possible deals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Elsewhere, Tokyo commuter town Inzai already has at least 10 data centres including one used by Google, but residents have launched legal action against a proposed new facility.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
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
Someone in the seat behind me gives a sigh of helpless irritation; the 8:04 slow train from Ashbury to Euston can test the patience of the most seasoned commuter.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
The house, which has fascinated generations of commuters, was built in 1963 by Sam Harkleroad, a tinkerer who dotted Marin County with unconventional dwellings before he died in 1993.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
E-scooters remain popular with the commuters in the city, where narrow roads can become congested.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Its secret formula, the city says, is embracing businesses, helping the homeless and keeping streets clean, to make downtown a go-to destination for more shoppers, diners and commuters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
I’m wheeling my bike off it with balletic ease, definitely not annoying my fellow commuters as I lug it down the stairs.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
He stares at the commuters who cling precariously to trams and buses, threatening at any moment to spill onto the street, and at the families who boil rice and shampoo their hair on the sidewalk.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
