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the Commonwealth

noun

1
: a U.S. state
used officially of Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia
the Commonwealth of Kentucky
2
: the countries that were once part of the British Empire

Examples of the Commonwealth in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Ayodele Oke, one of the nominees who could become the US ambassador, represented Nigeria at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London in the late 2000s. Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 28 Nov. 2025 Removing Andrew from the line of succession would require an Act of Parliament as well as the consent of the Commonwealth realms where King Charles is monarch, per the BBC. Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025 Saipan, the largest island in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or CNMI, is about 120 miles north of Guam. Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 25 Nov. 2025 His previous works have been shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, the Commonwealth Book Prize, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, the RSL Encore Award, the CWA Gold Dagger Award and the European Union Prize for Literature. Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for the Commonwealth

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Cite this Entry

“The Commonwealth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20Commonwealth. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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