commute
/kəˈmjuːt/ (bre, ipa) · /kəˈmjuːt/ (ame, ipa) · /kə-ˈmyüt/ (ame, mw)
commute — 動詞
- commutepresent simple I / you / we / they
- commuteshe / she / it
- commutedpast simple
- commuting-ing form
1. to go regularly from your home to your workplace or school, and back again, ofte
通勤
定期往返於家與工作地點
to go regularly from your home to your workplace or school, and back again, often over a long distance
Priya commutes from Hsinchu to her office in Taipei every workday morning.
Priya 每天早上從新竹通勤到位於台北的辦公室。
commute + from [place] + to [place]
Theo commutes by train and uses the journey time to catch up on his reading.
Theo 搭火車通勤，並利用乘車時間追趕閱讀進度。
commute + by [means of transport]
Since moving to the suburbs, Yusuf now commutes over eighty kilometres each way.
搬到郊區後，Yusuf 現在單程通勤超過八十公里。
Leila commutes to the university where she teaches three mornings a week.
Leila 每週三天早上通勤到任教的大學。
The number of people who commute into central Taipei has grown steadily each year.
每年通勤進入台北市中心的人數都在穩定增長。
- travel
general term for any trip; 'commute' specifically means the regular home-to-work journey
- go back and forth
informal; describes any repeated movement between two places
- shuttle
implies moving between two fixed points, often in a vehicle designed for that purpose
文法句型
commute + from [place] + to [place]
commute + by [means of transport]
commute + [distance]
用法筆記
Only sense that is intransitive. Subject is always a person. Frequently paired with 'from [departure point] + to [destination]', 'by [mode of transport]', or a distance phrase.
常見錯誤
2. to formally turn one kind of right, benefit, payment, or obligation into a diffe
轉換
將權利、福利等轉為另一形式
to formally turn one kind of right, benefit, payment, or obligation into a different kind
The company allows workers to commute their unused holiday leave into extra pay.
公司允許員工將未使用的年假轉換為額外薪資。
commute + [benefit] + into [alternative]
Retirees may commute a portion of their monthly pension into a single cash payment.
退休人員可以將其每月退休金的一部分轉換為一次性現金支付。
commute + [portion] + of [asset] + into [form]
The council voted to commute the historic building's protected status into a development permit.
市議會投票決定將該歷史建物的保護狀態轉換為開發許可。
Under the new contract, overtime hours can be commuted into additional days off.
根據新合約，加班時數可以轉換為額外休假。
文法句型
commute + [object] + into [new form]
用法筆記
Formal register; most common in legal, financial, and contractual contexts. Object is typically a right, benefit, payment, or obligation — not a physical object. Contrast with sense 3 (narrower — payment format only) and sense 4 (punishment reduction only).
常見錯誤
3. to swap a debt or payment from one type of arrangement to another, such as turni
折換
將付款方式變更為另一形式
to swap a debt or payment from one type of arrangement to another, such as turning a series of instalments into a single amount, or the reverse
The insurance company commuted his annual premium into twelve smaller monthly payments.
保險公司將他的年繳保費折換成十二期小額月繳。
commute + [payment] + into [instalments]
Lottery winners often choose to commute their prize into a single cash payment instead of yearly sums.
樂透得主通常選擇將獎金折換為一次性現金，而非逐年領取。
Homeowners can commute their yearly property tax into four quarterly payments.
屋主可以將年度房屋稅折換為四次季度繳款。
Under the agreement, she commuted her legal fees into a series of monthly deductions from her salary.
根據協議，她將律師費折換為每月從薪資中分期扣除。
- convert
more general; 'commute' is specific to payment restructuring in financial contexts
- restructure
focuses on changing the payment schedule; 'commute' can also change the payment type itself
文法句型
commute + [payment] + into [different payment format]
用法筆記
Narrower than sense 2 — this sense is specifically about changing how a payment or debt is structured (e.g. annual to monthly, lump sum to instalments). Subject is typically a person or organisation making the payment. Object must be a sum of money or debt.
常見錯誤
4. to officially reduce a criminal punishment, especially by replacing a death sent
減刑
將刑罰減輕為較輕處分
to officially reduce a criminal punishment, especially by replacing a death sentence with a prison term or a long sentence with a shorter one
The governor commuted the prisoner's death sentence to life in prison without parole.
州長將該囚犯的死刑減刑為不得假釋的終身監禁。
commute + [death sentence] + to [lesser sentence]
After a review, the committee commuted his ten-year sentence to five years on probation.
審查後，委員會將他的十年刑期減刑為五年緩刑。
commute + [years] + to [shorter term]
The president commuted the sentences of three non-violent offenders last Friday.
總統上週五對三名非暴力罪犯減刑。
A judge may commute a prison term if new evidence suggests the punishment was too harsh.
如果有新證據顯示處罰過重，法官可以將刑期減輕。
The court commuted her life sentence after new DNA evidence proved her partial innocence.
在新的DNA證據證明她部分無辜後，法院將她的無期徒刑減刑。
- increase
opposite action — making a sentence more severe
文法句型
commute + [sentence] + to [lesser sentence]
用法筆記
Formal legal register. Subject is always an authority figure (governor, president, judge, review board). Object must be a punishment or sentence. Only sense that involves leniency or clemency. Distinguish from 'pardon' — a pardon forgives the crime entirely, while commutation only reduces the penalty.
常見錯誤
commute — 名詞
- commutesingular
- commutesplural
1. the regular trip that a person makes between their home and their workplace, usu
通勤路程
往返家與公司的固定旅程
the regular trip that a person makes between their home and their workplace, usually over a fixed distance and at set times
Ravi's daily commute takes ninety minutes each way by train and bus.
Ravi 每天的通勤路程需要搭火車和公車，單程九十分鐘。
[possessive] + commute + takes [time]
The new express bus line has shortened Wen's commute from two hours to forty minutes.
新的快速公車路線將 Wen 的通勤路程從兩小時縮短為四十分鐘。
shortened [possessive] + commute
During her morning commute, Beatriz listens to language-learning podcasts.
Beatriz 在早上的通勤路程中收聽語言學習播客。
A long commute can leave workers feeling tired before the workday even begins.
長途通勤路程會讓上班族在工作日開始前就感到疲憊。
The company offers flexible hours so staff can avoid the worst of the rush-hour commute.
公司提供彈性工時，讓員工避開最擁擠的尖峰通勤時段。
文法句型
[possessive] + commute
long/short + commute
用法筆記
Typically modified by adjectives describing time or difficulty ('long', 'short', 'easy', 'stressful'). Often used with time expressions ('takes X minutes', 'two-hour'). The noun is the most common form in everyday conversation — more natural than the verb in many contexts.