commutation
noun
com·mu·ta·tion
ˌkäm-yə-ˈtā-shən 
-yü-
2
: replacement
specifically
: a substitution of one form of payment or charge for another
a commutation by money payment for the exacted service
3
: a change of a legal penalty or punishment to a lesser one
commutation of a death sentence
4
: an act or process of commuting
… a ridge of hills makes daily commutation to San Francisco arduous.—
The New York Times
The New York Times5
: the action of commutating
Examples of commutation in a Sentence
He appealed for a commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment.
an international commutation of food for oil
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump And Pardons In 2025, President Donald Trump issued a series of high-profile pardons and commutations, notably surpassing his previous clemency record (143 pardons and 85 commutations).
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
Biden set a record in presidential pardons, commutations, and clemencies for over 4,200 people.
—Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 1 June 2025
Trump issued Duran’s commutation on Wednesday. Duran and his girlfriend, Marianella Valera, the co-owner of the company and one of its therapists, filed 866,000 false claims with Medicare and received more than $87 million from their scheme, according to court records.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025
The commutation of Hoover’s sentence denigrates the lives of the children lost to the drugs and bullets of the Gangster Disciples.
—Ronald S. Safer, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for commutation
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
Biden set a record in presidential pardons, commutations, and clemencies for over 4,200 people.
—Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 1 June 2025
Trump issued Duran’s commutation on Wednesday. Duran and his girlfriend, Marianella Valera, the co-owner of the company and one of its therapists, filed 866,000 false claims with Medicare and received more than $87 million from their scheme, according to court records.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025
The commutation of Hoover’s sentence denigrates the lives of the children lost to the drugs and bullets of the Gangster Disciples.
—Ronald S. Safer, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for commutation
Cite this Entry
“Commutation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commutation. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
commutation
noun
com·mu·ta·tion
ˌkäm-yə-ˈtā-shən
2
: a reduction of a legal penalty
3
: an act of commuting
4
: the process of reversing the direction of an electric circuit
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share