commute
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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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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:
"Working in London I would expect the price of the train to go down because the commute is horrendously expensive nowadays," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
“This event really resonated with me, because it mixes two things that I really love, music and being a part of nature,” said Tsoi, adding the commute was worth it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
In fact, the Glassdoor report noted that remote workers may be feeling increased pressure to log more working hours at home, effectively erasing the time they saved by skipping the commute.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026
It’s an excellent option for your commute home or, in my case, evening dog walk.
From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026
But now he can’t get home before nine p.m. because of the long commute from the city.
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
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
Public transit has become a more favorable option for some — weekday commutes on the Metro increased by nearly 8% from January to May.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 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
While real estate far from big cities is cheaper, filling up for long commutes has become painful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
Insofar as the poor have to work near the dwellings of the rich—as in the case of so many service and retail jobs—they are stuck with lengthy commutes or dauntingly expensive housing.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Four years later, an overwhelming majority of California voters approved Proposition 36, reversing a 2014 change that had commuted some nonviolent felonies to misdemeanors.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Until recently, most commuted to work in New York, which has been enhancing its own tax-credit program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
The sentence was commuted to life in prison last June, after Vietnam abolished the death penalty for a range of crimes.
From BBC ● May 21, 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
The problem was so significant in Illinois that in 2003, Governor George Ryan, a Republican, citing the unreliability of capital punishment, commuted the death sentences of all 167 people on death row.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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
But smaller retailers still appear to be promoting e-scooters for commuting or riding in towns and cities.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
“That hour saved from commuting could have been replaced with more time working,” said Glassdoor’s Martin.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026
At this World Cup, Team Melli has been subjected to shifting travel restrictions and uncertainty unlike the other 47 teams, spending the tournament commuting between Southern California and its base in Tijuana.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
She bought a work wardrobe and began commuting each morning, catching the bus north on Jeffery Boulevard or riding along with my dad in the Buick, if their start times happened to line up.
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.