Meaning & use

commute

verb·Everyday

To travel regularly between one's home and workplace, especially over some distance.

See it in a sentence

She commutes an hour each way by train to her office in the city.

Many employees now commute only a few days a week since remote work became common.

A note on using this word

As a legal term, "commute" means to reduce a criminal sentence to a less severe one, a distinct sense from the travel meaning.

Words with a similar meaning

This term is best learned through its definition and examples.

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. noun

A regular journey made between home and work.

His commute took twice as long after the new construction began.

3. verb

To reduce a legal sentence to one that is less severe.

The governor commuted the prisoner's sentence to time already served.

Make it your own

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