commute

[ kuh-myoot ]

verb (used with object)

, com·mut·ed, com·mut·ing.

1. to change (a prison sentence or other penalty) to a less severe one:

   The death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

2. to exchange for another or for something else; give and take reciprocally; interchange.
3. to change:

   to commute base metal into gold.

4. to change (one kind of payment) into or for another, as by substitution.

verb (used without object)

, com·mut·ed, com·mut·ing.

1. to travel regularly over some distance, as from a suburb into a city and back:

   He commutes to work by train.

2. to make substitution.
3. to serve as a substitute.
4. to make a collective payment, especially of a reduced amount, as an equivalent for a number of payments.
5. Mathematics. to give the same result whether operating on the left or on the right.

noun

1. a trip made by commuting:

   It's a long commute from his home to his office.

2. an act or instance of commuting.

commute

/ kəˈmjuːt /

verb

1. intr to travel some distance regularly between one's home and one's place of work
2. tr to substitute; exchange
3. tr law to reduce (a sentence) to one less severe
4. to pay (an annuity) at one time, esp with a discount, instead of in instalments
5. tr to transform; change

   to commute base metal into gold

6. intr to act as or be a substitute
7. intr to make a substitution; change

noun

1. a journey made by commuting

commute

/ kə-myo̅o̅t′ /

1. To yield the same result regardless of order. For example, numbers commute under addition, which is a commutative operation. Generally, any two operators H and G commute if their commutator is zero, i.e. HG − GH = 0.

Derived Forms

• comˈmutable, adjective
• comˌmutaˈbility, noun

Other Words From

• uncom·muted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of commute¹

First recorded in 1400–50, and in 1885–90 commute fordef 5; late Middle English, from Latin commūtāre “to change, replace, exchange,” equivalent to com- “with, together” ( com- ) + mūtāre “to change”

Word History and Origins

Origin of commute¹

C17: from Latin commutāre to replace, from com- mutually + mutāre to change

Example Sentences

A judge sentenced Young Thug to 40 years with the first five to be served in prison, but commuted to time served, followed by 15 years on probation.

From Los Angeles Times

Manson died in 2017 while serving a commuted death sentence for masterminding an infamous spate of murders in Los Angeles in 1969.

From Los Angeles Times

Shanley said it was hard to meet other Scottish students because most commuted as they had been priced out of town.

From BBC

Homeworkers are using the time saved by not commuting to stay longer in bed, new figures suggest.

From BBC

“How bad could the commute be?” we naively thought.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• shorten