Meaning & use
telecommute
Last updated
Meaning
verbintransitive
To work from home or another remote location using telephone, internet, and computer connections instead of traveling to an office.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'from' to specify the place.
Patterns
- telecommute from home
- telecommute two days a week
She telecommutes from her home office three days a week.
Many employees began to telecommute during the pandemic.
He telecommutes to avoid the long daily commute.
Word forms
| third person singular | telecommutes |
|---|---|
| past tense | telecommuted |
| past participle | telecommuted |
| present participle | telecommuting |
Common combinations
- telecommute from home
- More people now telecommute from home than ever before.
- telecommute full-time
- He telecommutes full-time for a company in another city.
- telecommute part of the week
- She telecommutes part of the week and goes to the office on Fridays.
Synonyms and how they differ
- telework
- A broader term that covers any remote work arrangement, not just replacing a daily commute.
- work from home
- A more general phrase that does not necessarily imply using electronic connections.
Word family
- telecommuter noun
- A person who telecommutes.
- telecommuting noun
- The practice of working from home using electronic links.
Commonly confused: telecommute or commute?
telecommute vs commute
Means to travel regularly to work, while 'telecommute' means to work from home instead of traveling.
Practice
Because of the new policy, employees can _____ from home two days a week.
Choose one answer.
'Telecommute' means to work from home using electronic connections, which fits the context of a work-from-home policy. 'Commute' means to travel to work, which is the opposite; 'telecast' means to broadcast on television, and 'telecommunicate' means to communicate over distance, neither of which fits working from home.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “telecommute”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.