commute

verb com·mute \ kə-ˈmyüt \

Definition of commute

commuted; commuting

transitive verb

1 a :change, alter

b :to give in exchange for another :exchange

commuting foreign currency to domestic

2 :to convert (something, such as a payment) into another form

The periodic payments may be commuted into a lump sum.

3 :to change (a penalty) to another less severe

commute a death sentence to life in prison

4 :commutate

intransitive verb

1 :make up, compensate

commuted for her sins

2 :to pay in gross (see ²gross 2)

3 :to travel back and forth regularly (as between a suburb and a city)

He commutes to work every day by car.

4 :to yield the same mathematical result regardless of order —used of two elements undergoing an operation or of two operations on elements

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commutable

play \kə-ˈmyü-tə-bəl\ adjective

See commute defined for English-language learners

See commute defined for kids

Examples of commute in a Sentence

He commutes to work every day by train.
She commutes 400 miles a week.
The judge commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment.

Recent Examples of commute from the Web

Not-So-Sweet Options for EU Trade Deal Cross-border commuters Both sides agree that frontier workers -- people who live in one country and commute to work in another -- should have special rights under the Brexit deal.

— ian wishart, Bloomberg.com, "Devil in the Detail: Why Brexit Talks Are Making Little Progress," 30 Aug. 2017
Many top executives of those companies — including Lee’s father — have been tried and even convicted of various crimes only to be pardoned or have their sentences commuted.

— paul mozur, The Seattle Times, "Dishonest or clueless? Samsung heir’s fate rests on answer," 23 Aug. 2017
During the Bush administration, the base assigned a fancy version known as the Skipper’s Gig for reporters commuting to the court from guest quarters across the bay.

— carol rosenberg, miamiherald, "A $300 boat ride may resolve dispute, restart Guantánamo hearings," 17 July 2017
Why can’t Mayor Garcetti champion this practical commuting solution instead of a pie-in-the-sky monorail?

— neal broverman, Los Angeles Magazine, "Metro Just Dropped Some Stunning Expo Line Numbers," 12 July 2017
Those commuting from Long Island are being told to consider going to stations the LIRR serves in Brooklyn and Queens and transferring to the city subways.

— frank eltman, The Seattle Times, "Railroad riders turn complaints over delays into lawsuit," 9 July 2017
Those commuting from Long Island are being told to consider going to stations the LIRR serves in Brooklyn and Queens and transferring to the city subways.

— Washington Post, "Railroad riders turn complaints over delays into lawsuit," 9 July 2017
In April, McAuliffe commuted the death sentence of Ivan Teleguz in a murder-for-hire case because of what the governor described as a flawed sentencing process.

— the washington post, AL.com, "Virginia executes William Morva by lethal injection for 2006 murders," 6 July 2017
But there will be other ways of commuting to the festivities.

— andre c. fernandez, miamiherald, "City of Miami preparing for the huge crowds expected on All-Star weekend," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'commute.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

When you commute between a suburb and a city, you're "exchanging" one location for another. When a chief executive substitutes a life sentence for the death sentence handed down by a court, he or she is commuting the original sentence. Most such commutations are the result of the prisoner's good behavior. A commutator is a device in many electric motors that regularly changes alternating current to direct current.

Origin and Etymology of commute

Middle English, from Latin commutare to change, exchange, from com- + mutare to change — more at mutable

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

commute Synonyms

Synonyms

change, exchange, shift, substitute, swap, switch, trade

Related Words

interchange; displace, replace, supersede; cede, hand over, surrender, yield; reciprocate

commute

noun

Definition of commute

1 :an act or an instance of commuting

2 :the distance covered in commuting

a long commute

See commute defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of commute from the Web

For San Diegans willing to make the commute, nearby Riverside County has built more single-family houses than anywhere else in Southern California.

— phillip molnar, sandiegouniontribune.com, "What you need to know about San Diego's homebuilding slump," 30 Aug. 2017
Over the years, biking for fitness and as part of the daily commute has changed that dramatically.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "Cycling fatalities are up, and the average age of victims is 45," 24 Aug. 2017
The efforts aren’t just an attempt to placate impatient riders seeking to gab on the phone or watch a movie while zooming through their commute.

— martine powers, Washington Post, "Do you travel between Metro Center and Stadium-Armory? Metro says you now have underground cell service.," 15 Aug. 2017
Rapkin’s mother called police on July 30 after seeing Alemán’s face on television two weeks ago — after her arrest for impersonating a county cop during a traffic-jammed commute on Coral Way.

— charles rabin, miamiherald, "Ex-cop busted again — this time, claiming to work in cyber crime and anti-terrorism," 15 Aug. 2017
Slowly but surely, the pods should reach breakneck speeds necessary to make the commute from San Francisco to Los Angeles in only 30 minutes.

— sarah rense, Esquire, "The Hyperloop Completed an IRL Test Run ... Sort Of," 12 July 2017
Tonight’s rush hour marks the last of what passes for normal commutes in and out of the New York station.

— Bloomberg.com, "Your Evening Briefing," 7 July 2017
And since no one really breaks a sweat on their commute to work in the morning, racing a car must be easy.

— jonathan m. gitlin, Ars Technica, "The agony and ecstasy of (grassroots) racing," 3 July 2017
Highland and Munster scored well in crime rate, median income and commute time.

— karen caffarini, Post-Tribune, "Area towns, cities make state's most happy list," 26 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of commute

see ¹commute

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1954

See Words from the same year

Other Transportation Terms

camber, corduroy, demurrage, milestone

COMMUTE Defined for English Language Learners

commute

verb

Definition of commute for English Language Learners

: to travel regularly to and from a place and especially between where you live and where you work
law : to change (a punishment) to a less severe one