Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.

Definition: Commute |
CommuteVerb1. Transpose and remain equal in value; of variables or operators, in mathematics; "These operators commute with each other". 2. Travel back and forth regularly, as between one's place of work and home. 3. Change the order or arrangement of; "Dyslexics often transpose letters in a word". 4. Exchange a penalty for a less severe one. 5. Exchange or replace with another, usually of the same kind or category; "Could you convert my dollars into pounds?" "He changed his name"; "convert centimeters into inches"; "convert holdings into shares". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "commute" was first used: sometime around 1450. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Statistics | To travel by use of a commutation ticket esp. daily to and from a city and one's suburban residence. . Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Synonyms: CommuteSynonyms: change (v), convert (v), exchange (v), permute (v), transpose (v), travel back and forth (v). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Compromise | Verb: compromise, commute, compound; take the mean; split the difference, meet one halfway, give and take; come to terms; (contract); submit to arbitration, abide by arbitration; patch up, bridge over, arrange; straighten out, adjust, differences, agree; make the best of, make a virtue of necessity; take the will for the deed. |
Interchange | Verb: interchange, exchange, counterchange; bandy, transpose, shuffle, change bands, swap, permute, reciprocate, commute; give and take, return the compliment; play at puss in the corner,Verb: interchange, exchange, counterchange; bandy, transpose, shuffle, change bands, swap, permute, reciprocate, commute; give and take, return the compliment; play at puss in the corner, play at battledore and shuttlecock; retaliate; requite. |
Substitution | Verb: subs put in the place of, change for; make way for, give place to; supply the place of, take the place of; supplant, supersede, replace, cut out, serve as a substitute; step into stand in the shoes of; jury rig, make a shift with, put up with; borrow from Peter to pay Paul, take money out of one pocket and put it in another, cannibalize; commute, redeem, compound for. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Commute |
| English words defined with "commute": Commuted ♦ executive clemency ♦ live in, live out ♦ nonresident ♦ sleep in, sleep out ♦ transpose. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "commute": journey to work. (references) |
| Domain | Title |
Books |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | ![]() | Spanish-American village along the Rio Hondo near Taos, New Mexico. The residents live in town and commute to their small farmlands on the outskirts of the town. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Business | While Belgians change jobs periodically, they are unlikely to move their residence to reduce the commute distance/time to a job. Consequently, greater attention is being given to car presentation and maintenance. (references) | |
Economic History | Nepal | The king may grant pardons and may suspend, commute, or remit any sentence by any court. (references) |
Paraguay | One of Cubas' first acts after taking office in August was to commute Oviedo's sentence and release him from confinement. (references) | |
Human Rights | Nepal | The King also can suspend, commute, or remit any sentence. (references) |
Worker Rights | Monaco | The 5 percent adjustment was intended to compensate for the travel costs of the three-quarters of the workforce who commute daily from France. (references) |
India | During 2000 a Prerana pilot program trained employees of a large Maharashtra government enterprise to identify and assist trafficking victims during their daily bus commute; Prerana also has enlisted the assistance of state police, who help train the workers. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Commute" is generally used as a lexical verb (infinitive) -- approximately 74.68% of the time. "Commute" is used about 79 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 74.68% | 59 | 44,010 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 18.99% | 15 | 90,616 |
| Noun (singular) | 6.33% | 5 | 157,705 |
| Total | 100.00% | 79 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "commute": commute death sentence ♦ commute in ♦ commute to death sentence ♦ peak commute congestion period. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "commute"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | zbut (allay, amortise, amortize, appease, assuage, attenuate, break, calm, chasten, daunt, disarm, ease, extenuate, malaxate, manage, melt, mince, mitigate, moderate, modify, mollify, palatalize, palliate, propitiate, qualify, reclaim, relax, relieve, smooth, soften, soothe, subdue, tame, temper, tenderize, tone down), zëvendësoj (act for, cover, deputize, displace, double, interchange, make up for, pre empt, replace, substitute, supersede, supplant, understudy), udhëtoj vajtje-ardhje rregullisht, shkëmbej (bandy, barter, change, exchange, interchange, melt, swap, swop), ndërroj (cast, change, distort, dress, exchange, malt, proselytize, relay, relieve, remove, transfigure, veer). (various references) | |
Arabic | غير (beyond, budge, but, change, fashion, masquerade, metamorphose, mis, modify, modulate, non, overrun, rehash, renew, reverse, revise, shape, shift, switch, switch over, than, transfer, transpose, turn, un-), عدل (adjust, alter, amend, arrange, blue pencil, equal, equate, erect, evenness, fairness, fashion, fix, justice, justness, mend, modify, modulate, overhaul, qualify, reason, recast, reclaim, rectify, redress, regulate, remodel, reshuffle, retrofit, revise, right, righteousness, rightness, shuffle, straighten, temper), ذهب يوميا الى العمل, خفف العقوبة (qualify), إنتقال (demise, move, removal, signing up, switch, transference, transition, transmission), إستبدل (change, displace, exchange, replace, stand in, subrogate, substitute), دفع جملة واحدة. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | смекчавам наказание, сменям начина на заплащане, заменям (exchange, replace, substitute, supersede, trade, trade off), пътувам с абонаментна карта, променям посоката на тока. (various references) | |
Chinese | 通勤 (Commuted, Commuting). (various references) | |
Czech | zamìnit, dojíždìt. (various references) | |
Dutch | overschakelen, omschakelen (commutation, switch over, switching), omleggen. (various references) | |
Esperanto | komuti. (various references) | |
Farsi | مسافرت کردن بابلیطتخفیف دار, هرروزازحومه بشهروبالعکس سفرکردن , تبدیل کردن (Transform, Transmute, Turquoise). (various references) | |
Finnish | matkustaa päivittäin työhönsä (commute between home and work). (various references) | |
French | commuter, aiguiller. (various references) | |
German | pendeln (fluctuate, oscillate, shuttle, swing, to commute, to oscillate, to shuttle, vacillate). (various references) | |
Greek | μετατρέπω (alter, convert, divert, reduce, transform, transmute), χρησιμοποιώ εισιτήριο διάρκειασ, εναλλάσσω (alternate, interchange, stagger), ανταλάσσω, ανταλλάσσω (barter, change for, exchange, interchange, permute, reciprocate, swap, swop, trade, trade for). (various references) | |
Hebrew | ל"מתיק עו ש (palliate), ל"חליף (alternate, change, exchange, interchange, pinchhit, replace, substitute, switch, swop, trade in), ל סוע בקביעות. (various references) | |
Hungarian | ingázás. (various references) | |
Indonesian | mengganti (displace, replace), mengampuni (forgive, pardon), bertukar (trade). (various references) | |
Italian | commutare (commutate, convert, transform, transubstantiate), fare il pendolare. (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 通う (to commute, to go back & forth). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | かよう (available, ballad, caring for the sick, comely face, floral leaf, in such a manner, like this, lotus leaf, lower leaves, solubilizing, soluble, song, taking care of oneself, to attend, to commute, to go back and forth, to ply between, Tuesday). (various references) | |
Korean | 감형하십시" (mitigate). (various references) | |
Manx | maylartey (alternate, barter, bartering, commutation, exchange, interchange, reciprocate, reciprocating, reciprocation, substitution, swap, transpose, transposing), coonrey (barter, contract, exchange), ceaghley (change, modify, mutate). (various references) | |
Norwegian | pendle. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | ommutecay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | comute, comutar (exchange, remit), viajar diariamente, viagem diária, trocar (bandy, bartender, barter, change, clabber, exchange, give, interchange, substitute, swap, switch, swop, to cash, to change, truck), diminuir (abridge, assuage, cut down, dampen, decline, decrease, derogate, detract, diminish, dock, dwarf, dwindle, extenuate, fall, impair, lessen, lower, mince, minify, pass off, rebate, reduce, relax, retrench, shorten, shrink, sink, wear down, whittle). (various references) | |
Romanian | transforma (alter, change, chop, convert, fashion, idolize, modify, permute, recast, reduce, resolve, transform, transmogrify, transmute, turn into), schimba (alter, change, chop, convert into, exchange, fashion, improve, interchange, modify, renew, replace, shift, substitute, supersede, supplant, swap, transfigure, transform, transmogrify, transmute, turn, vary), folosi un abonament, înlocui (change, cover, displace, do duty for, make good, replace, shift, supersede, supplant). (various references) | |
Russian | смягчать (assuage, attenuate, damp, extenuate, mellow, melt, mitigate, moderate, mollify, palatalize, palliate, relax, remit, soft pedal, soften, subdue, tone down), коммутировать, заменять (interchange, make into, replace, shift into, substitute for, supersede, take the place of, understudy), переключать (change over, commutate, switch, switch over, throw over). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | zameniti (exchange, fill in, mistake, replace, substitute, supersede, supplant, switch, switch over), razmeniti (barter, exchange, permute, swap, trade). (various references) | |
Spanish | conmutar (switch). (various references) | |
Swedish | pendla (oscillate, pendulate, vibrate), förvandla (alter, change, metamorphose, reduce, transform, turn). (various references) | |
Turkish | takas etmek (barter, change, Dicker, exchange, interchange, swop, trade, truck), hafifletmek (allay, alleviate, appease, assuage, attenuate, deaden, de-escalate, ease, emasculate, extenuate, facilitate, lighten, mitigate, moderate, modify, palliate, qualify, relieve, remit, soft pedal, subdue, water, weaken), evle iş arasını trenle gidip gelmek, değiş-tokuş etmek, değiştirmek (alter, alternate, amend, change, convert, disguise, diversify, doctor, exchange, falsify, garble, inflect, interchange, intersperse, juggle with, metamorphose, modify, recast, replace, revise, shed, shift, specialize, swap, switch, switch to, swop, transmute, unmake, vary), çevirmek (assemble, avert, bowl, change to, convert, decline, deflect, divert, encircle, enclose, exchange, flip, flip over, hedge in, hedge round, inclose, interpret, manage, point, point on, pull, render, revert, roll, roll over, screw, slew, slew round, slue, slue round, spin, surround, switch to, translate, translate into, turn, turn into, turn on, turn over, turn to, twiddle, twirl, upturn, whip, wind, wind up, zone). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | замінювати, пом'якшувати покарання, перемикати (switch over). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | commutare. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "commute": commuted, commuter, commuters, commutes. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "commute": telecommute. (additional references) | |
Words containing "commute": telecommuted, telecommuter, telecommuters, telecommutes. (additional references) | |
| |
"Commute" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: comete, comette, comite, commetee, commite, commitie, commutge, commuti, commuty, Comtek, comtume, comum, comute, Koummoue. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "commute" (pronounced kumyuw"t) |
| 4 | -m y uw" t | mute, permute. |
| 3 | -y uw" t | acute, Bute, Butte, compute, cute, impute, dispute, disrepute, refute, repute, subacute. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "c-e-m-m-o-t-u" | |
-2 letters: comet, comte. | |
-3 letters: come, cote, cute, memo, meou, mome, mote, moue, mute, tome. | |
-4 letters: cot, cue, cum, cut, ecu, emu, mem, met, moc, mom, mot, mum, mut, out, toe, tom, umm. | |
-5 letters: em, et, me, mm, mo, mu, oe, om, to, um, ut. | |
| Words containing the letters "c-e-m-m-o-t-u" | |
+1 letter: commuted, commuter, commutes. | |
+2 letters: comminute, commutate, commuters. | |
+3 letters: comminuted, comminutes, commixture, commutable, commutated, commutates, consummate, lumpectomy, miscompute. | |
+4 letters: commixtures, communicate, communities, commutative, computerdom, consummated, consummates, countermemo, crematorium, miscomputed, miscomputes, telecommute, uncommitted, uncommonest. | |
+5 letters: commensurate, communicated, communicatee, communicates, computerdoms, consummately, consummative, countermemos, crematoriums, incommutable, lumpectomies, minicomputer, mycetomatous, subcommittee, telecommuted, telecommuter, telecommutes. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Quotations: Non-fiction 8. Usage Frequency | 9. Expressions 10. Expressions: Internet 11. Translations: Modern 12. Translations: Ancient | 13. Derivations 14. Rhymes 15. Anagrams 16. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.