commonwealth

noun

ˈkä-mən-ˌwelth How to pronounce commonwealth (audio)
Definition of commonwealthnext
as in state
a body of people composed of one or more nationalities usually with its own territory and government laws that will benefit all the citizens of the commonwealth

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of commonwealth Prosecutors for the commonwealth of Massachusetts must now decide whether to retry Clancy. — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2026 Health officials have said Kentucky is experiencing the largest measles outbreak reported in the commonwealth since 1991. — Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Sep. 2026 Shortly after her arrival at her grandmother’s, in 1900, Australia transforms from six British colonies into a single, largely self-governing commonwealth. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2026 Sandusky’s trial produced shocking testimony from other victims The shadow of Penn State’s influence in this borough in the center of the commonwealth continues to hang over the case. — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for commonwealth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commonwealth
  1. state
  2. nation
  3. country
Noun
  • Advocates tout the measure as the most comprehensive update in a decade to the state's firearms laws.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • In both Michigan and Ohio, college and professional football have been a subplot of the toss-up Senate races in each state.
    — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of state
Noun
  • Sectarian tensions and the disrupting force of the Cold War plunged the Middle Eastern nation into decades of armed conflict, with a chilling effect on daily life.
    — Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
  • And the last independent country in that land before modern Israel, the one Rome conquered, was--wait for it--a Jewish nation.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of nation
Noun
  • On foreign policy, Lula has worked to boost the political influence of countries in the Global South as a founding member of the BRICS group, a grouping of major emerging economies that includes Brazil, China, Russia, India and South Africa.
    — Catherine Osborn, NPR, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Elon Musk, who has spent more than four hundred million dollars on Republican campaigns this election cycle, slowed Ukraine’s access to his Starshield satellite network, leaving that country more vulnerable to Russian attacks.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of country

Browse Nearby Words

commonsensical
commonwealth
commonwealths
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Cite this Entry

“Commonwealth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commonwealth. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on commonwealth

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about commonwealth

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