commonwealth

noun com·mon·wealth \ ˈkä-mən-ˌwelth also -ˌweltth \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of commonwealth

1 archaic : commonweal 2

2 : a nation, state, or other political unit: such as

a : one founded on law and united by compact or tacit agreement of the people for the common good

b : one in which supreme authority is vested in the people

c : republic

3 capitalized

a : the English state from the death of Charles I in 1649 to the Restoration in 1660

b : 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

See commonwealth defined for English-language learners

See commonwealth defined for kids

Examples of commonwealth in a Sentence

laws that will benefit all the citizens of the commonwealth

Recent Examples of commonwealth from the Web

Supporters and teachers are rallying online behind the hashtag #120Strong, calling for all 120 counties in the commonwealth to shut down schools over pension reform.

— mandy mclaren, The Courier-Journal, "Watch live: Furious over pension bill, Kentucky teachers rally in Frankfort," 30 Mar. 2018
In 2013, the commonwealth set aside more than nine million US dollars to fund a four-year research program called Resilient Coral Reefs Successfully Adapting to Climate Change.

— sarah gibbens, National Geographic, "Floating Sunscreen-Like Film Could Protect the Great Barrier Reef," 27 Mar. 2018
While Green Flash was Virginia’s largest brewery, the commonwealth — like most of the nation — has been experiencing a craft beer boom.

— peter rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Beer bust: Green Flash closes Virginia Beach brewery," 26 Mar. 2018
Both were among a contingent of players from the U.S. commonwealth, including St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who have contributed money, supplies and their toil to helping communities back home.

— jorge l. ortiz, USA TODAY, "For MLB's Puerto Rican players, Hurricane Maria still hits home: 'It breaks your heart'," 12 Mar. 2018
Now in March, six months after the storm, signs that Puerto Rico is recovering are apparent, but the United States commonwealth is still trying to get on their feet.

— heather leighton, Houston Chronicle, "Before and after photos of Puerto Rico shows the island six months after Hurricane Maria," 21 Mar. 2018
Year over year, the rates are up 1.3 percent, behind the commonwealth average of 1.7 percent and the national average of 2.3 percent.

— shannon rooney, Philly.com, "Rent in the Philadelphia area: It's up in 9 of 10 big towns," 19 Mar. 2018
Senior bonds backed by Puerto Rico’s sales-tax collections rose by about 63% this year to 57 cents on the dollar, while bonds issued through the commonwealth’s general account climbed about 40% to around 31 cents on the dollar.

— matt wirz, WSJ, "Why Puerto Rico Is Proving to Be 2018’s Top Bond Investment," 15 Mar. 2018
The commonwealth’s economy has been a shambles for years.

— michelle kaske, Bloomberg.com, "Puerto Rico Could Cut Spending to the Bone—and Still Never Recover," 15 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'commonwealth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of commonwealth

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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commonwealth Synonyms

Synonyms

country, land, nation, sovereignty (also sovranty), state;

Related Words

city-state, ministate, nation-state;

domain, dominion, empire, kingdom, realm, republic;

democracy, dictatorship, monarchy, monocracy, oligarchy, sovereign (also sovran), theocracy;

fatherland, homeland, motherland;

great power, power, sea power, superpower, world power;

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

COMMONWEALTH Defined for English Language Learners

commonwealth

noun

Definition of commonwealth for English Language Learners

: a group of countries or states that have political or economic connections with one another
the Commonwealth : a U.S. state
: 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

noun com·mon·wealth \ ˈkä-mən-ˌwelth \

Definition 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

noun com·mon·wealth \ ˈkä-mən-ˌwelth \

legal 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