commonwealth
noun
com·mon·wealth
ˈkä-mən-ˌwelth 
also -ˌweltth
1
2
: a state of the U.S.
—used officially of Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia
3
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
4
often capitalized
: an association of self-governing autonomous states more or less loosely associated in a common allegiance (as to the British crown)
5
capitalized
a
: the English state from the death of Charles I in 1649 to the Restoration in 1660
6
capitalized
: a federal union of constituent states
—used officially of Australia
7
archaic
: commonweal sense 2
Examples of commonwealth in a Sentence
laws that will benefit all the citizens of the commonwealth
Recent Examples on the Web
Since March 5, 11 earthquakes have occurred in the commonwealth, with ten below a 2.0 magnitude.
—
Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 5 Apr. 2024
Virginia politicians and business leaders are publicly blaming each other over how and why an effort to bring the teams to the commonwealth had fallen apart.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
The commonwealth has a number of incidents every year when children board a school bus.
—Anthony Hennen | The Center Square, Washington Examiner, 19 Oct. 2023
That's when the commonwealth became the sixth state to allow Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
—Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 12 Mar. 2024
Megan Hargan was once again handed two life sentences, the Fairfax County commonwealth attorney announced, and an additional six years for gun charges on Jan. 26.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 5 Feb. 2024
Fortunately, there are plenty of impressive restaurants across the commonwealth.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 8 Mar. 2024
Territories and commonwealths have a different relationship with the federal government than states.
—USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024
Youngkin had been indifferent to the headquarters project, according to three people familiar with the process on the commonwealth’s end, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share private discussions.
—Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 5 Apr. 2024
Virginia politicians and business leaders are publicly blaming each other over how and why an effort to bring the teams to the commonwealth had fallen apart.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
The commonwealth has a number of incidents every year when children board a school bus.
—Anthony Hennen | The Center Square, Washington Examiner, 19 Oct. 2023
That's when the commonwealth became the sixth state to allow Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
—Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 12 Mar. 2024
Megan Hargan was once again handed two life sentences, the Fairfax County commonwealth attorney announced, and an additional six years for gun charges on Jan. 26.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 5 Feb. 2024
Fortunately, there are plenty of impressive restaurants across the commonwealth.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 8 Mar. 2024
Territories and commonwealths have a different relationship with the federal government than states.
—USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024
Youngkin had been indifferent to the headquarters project, according to three people familiar with the process on the commonwealth’s end, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share private discussions.
—Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commonwealth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near commonwealth
Cite this Entry
“Commonwealth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commonwealth. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
commonwealth
noun
com·mon·wealth
-ˌwelth
1
: a political unit (as a nation or state)
2
: a state of the U.S.
—used officially of Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia
Legal Definition
commonwealth
noun
com·mon·wealth
ˈkä-mən-ˌwelth
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
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