commuted; commuting
1
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
1
: make up, compensate
commuted for her sins
2
: to pay in gross (see gross entry 3 sense 1)
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
1
: an act or an instance of commuting
2
: the distance covered in commuting
a long commute
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.
Synonyms
Examples of commute in a Sentence
Verb
He commutes to work every day by train.
She commutes 400 miles a week.
The judge commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment.
Recent Examples on the Web
David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
There’s a scenario in which their sentences could be commuted within a few months of this show airing.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Nov. 2024
Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
Your evening commutes will likely be darker, though.
—Addy Bink, The Hill, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for commute 
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Verb
Williams was sentenced to five years in prison commuted to time served and 15 years on probation, followed by 20 years in prison.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
There’s a scenario in which their sentences could be commuted within a few months of this show airing.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
The incident outside the Embarcadero Station on Market Street closed down the system for about 40 minutes during the morning commute, officials said.
—Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
Your evening commutes will likely be darker, though.
—Addy Bink, The Hill, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for commute
Dictionary Entries Near commute
Cite this Entry
“Commute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commute. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
commute
1 of 2 verb
com·mute
kə-ˈmyüt 
commuted; commuting
1
: exchange entry 2
especially
: to change a penalty to another one that is less severe
commute a death sentence to life imprisonment
2
: to travel back and forth regularly
commuter
noun
commute
2 of 2 noun1
: an act or instance of commuting
the morning commute to work
2
: the distance covered in commuting
a long commute
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