COMMUTE, verb transitive 1. To exchange; to put one thing in the place of another; to give or receive one thing for another; as, to commute our labors; to commute pain for pleasure. 2. In law, to exchange one penalty or punishment for another of less severity; as, to commute death for transportation. COMMUTE, verb intransitive To atone; to compensate; to stand in the place of; as, one penalty commutes for another.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI