commutation

noun

com·​mu·​ta·​tion ˌkäm-yə-ˈtā-shən 

-yü-

1

: exchange, trade

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

5

: the action of commutating

Synonyms of commutation

• exchange

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

The Office of the Pardon Attorney continues to serve a key role in assisting the President with exercising his constitutional authority to grant pardons and commutations. —Brit McCandless Farmer, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025

Trump had already issued blanket pardons and sentence commutations to nearly 1,600 people convicted or charged with offenses related to the Capitol riot during his first day in office of his second term in January. —Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025

After the commutation, Wood was taken back to his cell where he was later found unresponsive, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections told the outlet. —Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025

The revelations come hot on the heels of the news that Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, is expected to seek a commutation from the president for her 20-year federal prison sentence. —Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English commutacion, from Anglo-French, from Latin commutation-, commutatio, from commutare

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing commutation

• commutation ticket

Rhymes for commutation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

commutation

noun

com·​mu·​ta·​tion ˌkäm-yə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: exchange entry 1 sense 2, replacement

2

: a reduction of a legal penalty

3

: an act of commuting

4

: the process of reversing the direction of an electric circuit