Definition of commonwealth
1 archaic : commonweal 2
2 : a nation, state, or other political unit: such asa : one founded on law and united by compact or tacit agreement of the people for the common goodb : one in which supreme authority is vested in the peoplec : republic
3 capitalized a : the English state from the death of Charles I in 1649 to the Restoration in 1660b : protectorate 1b
4 : a state of the U.S. —used officially of Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia
5 capitalized : a federal union of constituent states —used officially of Australia
6 often capitalized : an association of self-governing autonomous states more or less loosely associated in a common allegiance (as to the British crown)
7 often capitalized : a political unit having local autonomy but voluntarily united with the U.S. —used officially of Puerto Rico and of the Northern Mariana Islands
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Examples of commonwealth in a Sentence
laws that will benefit all the citizens of the commonwealth
First Known Use of commonwealth
15th century
Other Government and Politics Terms
COMMONWEALTH Defined for English Language Learners
commonwealth
playDefinition of commonwealth for English Language Learners
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: a group of countries or states that have political or economic connections with one another
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the Commonwealth : a U.S. state
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: a political unit that is like a U.S. state but that pays no federal taxes and has only a representative in Congress who does not vote
COMMONWEALTH Defined for Kids
commonwealth
playDefinition of commonwealth for Students
1 : a political unit (as a nation or state)
2 : one of four states of the United States—Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, or Virginia
Law Dictionary
commonwealth
playLegal Definition of commonwealth
1 : a nation, state, or other political unit: as a : one founded on law and united by compact or tacit agreement by the people for the common good b : one in which supreme authority is vested in the people c : republic
2 : a state of the U.S. —used officially of Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia
3 often capitalized : an association of self-governing autonomous states more or less loosely associated in a common allegiance (as to the British crown)
4 often capitalized : a political unit having local autonomy but voluntarily united with the U.S. —used officially of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands
Learn More about commonwealth
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See words that rhyme with commonwealth Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for commonwealth Spanish Central: Translation of commonwealth Nglish: Translation of commonwealth for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of commonwealth for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about commonwealth
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