Definition of commute
commuted
;commuting
transitive verb
1a : change, alterb : 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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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.
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
First Known Use: 15th century
commute
Definition of commute
1 : an act or an instance of commuting
2 : the distance covered in commuting a long commute
Origin and Etymology of commute
see 1commute
First Known Use: 1954
COMMUTE Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of commute for English Language Learners
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: to travel regularly to and from a place and especially between where you live and where you work
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law : to change (a punishment) to a less severe one
commute
Definition of commute for English Language Learners
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: the journey that you make when you travel to or from a place that you go to regularly (such as the place where you work)
COMMUTE Defined for Kids
commute
playDefinition of commute for Students
commuted
;commuting
1 : to travel back and forth regularly
2 : to change (as a penalty) to something less severe The governor commuted the convict's sentence.
commuter
nounLaw Dictionary
Learn More about commute
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for commute Spanish Central: Translation of commute Nglish: Translation of commute for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of commute for Arabic speakers
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