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.
The question now is whether the Commonwealth can build a functioning legal industry around that decision. — Peter Su, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 Hunt teams up with a motley group of mercenaries to traverse the cosmos while hoping to revitalize the Commonwealth and restore peace. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 June 2026 Princess Kate wore the pendant again at the Commonwealth Day service in 2022, according to Hola! — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 26 June 2026 Camilla looked regal in the Greville Tiara at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where then-Prince Charles represented the Queen and opened the event. — Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 21 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for the Commonwealth

Rhymes for the Commonwealth

See All Rhymes for the Commonwealth

Browse Nearby Words

the common touch
the Commonwealth
the competition
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“The Commonwealth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20Commonwealth. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All