I. com ‧ mute 1 /kəˈmjuːt/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: commutare 'to exchange, change' , from com- ( ⇨ COM- ) + mutare 'to change' ]
1 . [intransitive] to regularly travel a long distance to get to work
commute to/from/between
Jim commutes to Manhattan every day.
2 . commute a sentence (to something) technical to change the punishment given to a criminal to one that is less severe:
Baldry’s 20-year prison sentence was commuted to three years.
3 . commute something for/into something technical to exchange one thing, especially one kind of payment, for another:
He commuted his pension for a lump sum.
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THESAURUS
■ to travel
▪ travel to go from one place to another, especially places that are far apart:
We travelled to Russia by train.
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I love to travel.
▪ go to go somewhere – often used instead of travel :
We’re going to Greece for our holidays this year.
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He’s gone to London on business.
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It’s quicker to go by plane.
▪ commute to travel to work or school:
She commutes to work by bicycle.
▪ cross to travel across a very large area, for example a desert or ocean:
The slaves crossed the Atlantic in the holds of the ships.
▪ tour to travel in order to visit many different places, especially as part of a holiday:
They’re touring Europe by coach.
▪ go trekking to do a long and difficult walk in a place far from towns and cities:
They went trekking in the mountains.
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She’s been trekking in Nepal a couple of times.
▪ go backpacking to travel to a lot of different places, carrying your clothes with you in your ↑ rucksack :
He went backpacking in Australia.
▪ roam especially written to travel or move around an area with no clear purpose or direction, usually for a long time:
When he was young, he roamed from one country to another.
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The tribes used to roam around freely, without any fixed territory.
▪ journey literary to travel, especially a long distance:
He journeyed on horseback through Palestine.
II. commute 2 BrE AmE noun [countable usually singular]
the journey to work every day:
My morning commute takes 45 minutes.