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commute

kuh-MYOOT /kəˈmjuːt/

nounverbB1IELTSTOEFLGRE

general

To travel regularly between one's home and place of work or study.

Focuses strictly on routine, recurring trips to and from work/school rather than casual or leisure travel.

The story behind the word. In 19th-century America, railroads offered reduced fare rates called 'commutation tickets' to regular passengers. People who bought these tickets exchanged full fares for discounted multi-trip passes, becoming known as 'commuters', and their daily trip became a 'commute'.

Word relationships

travel: Travel is generic journeying anywhere, whereas commute strictly implies regular work trips.
shuttle: Shuttle implies traveling back and forth repeatedly on a fixed route service.

stay: To stay means remaining in one location rather than traveling anywhere.

Commonly confused with

compute: Compute means to calculate mathematically, while commute means regular travel or reducing a legal sentence.

Word family

commuter (noun): A person who travels regularly between home and work.
commuting (noun): The practice of traveling regularly to work.

Collocations

daily commute
morning commute
commute to work
long commute

Idioms & expressions

commute a sentence

Example sentences

"Her daily commute by electric bicycle took less time than sitting in city traffic." Metropolitan Transit Journal
"Many suburban workers now commute using a combination of train and kick scooter." Urban Mobility Report

Memory hook

You exchange (COMMUTE) your time for money on your daily ride to work! Daily trip to work and back.

When not to use

Do not use for one-time vacation trips or weekend excursions.

Fun facts

The average bicycle commuter saves over $1,000 every year in fuel and vehicle maintenance costs.