commuter

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A person who travels regularly between home and work or school, usually over some distance.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say a commuter or commuters.

   Patterns

   • a commuter train
   • commuter traffic
   • commuters into a city

   The 7 a.m. train is always full of commuters heading into the city.

   As a commuter, she spends nearly two hours a day on the bus.

   The new bike lane has encouraged more commuters to cycle to work.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Used before a noun to describe something related to people who travel regularly to work.

   Grammar: Always used before a noun: commuter train, commuter town.

   Patterns

   • commuter train
   • commuter town
   • commuter belt

   They live in a commuter town and take the train into London every day.

   The commuter belt around the city has grown rapidly in the last decade.

   Commuter traffic is heaviest between 7 and 9 in the morning.

Word forms

Common combinations

commuter train

The commuter train was delayed by twenty minutes.

commuter town

Many families move to commuter towns for cheaper housing.

commuter belt

House prices in the commuter belt have risen sharply.

daily commuter

He is a daily commuter between Brighton and London.

commuter traffic

Commuter traffic makes the roads busy every weekday morning.

Synonyms and how they differ

traveler

Traveler is a general word for anyone who travels; commuter specifically means someone who travels regularly to work or school.

passenger

Passenger means someone traveling in a vehicle, but does not necessarily travel regularly for work.

Word family

commute verb

To travel regularly between home and work.

commuting noun

The activity of traveling regularly to work.

Commonly confused: commuter or computer?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “commuter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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