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• commonwealth
  commonwealth

  noun

  a group of sovereign states and their dependencies associated by their own choice and linked with common objectives and interests.
• Commonwealth
  Commonwealth

  noun

  an association of sovereign states, almost all of which were at some time dependencies of the UK. All member states recognize the reigning British sovereign as Head of the Commonwealth

commonwealth

American  

[kom-uhn-welth] / ˈkɒm ənˌwɛlθ /

noun

1. (initial capital letter) a group of sovereign states and their dependencies associated by their own choice and linked with common objectives and interests.

   the British Commonwealth.

2. the Commonwealth. Commonwealth of Nations.

3. (initial capital letter) a federation of states.

   the Commonwealth of Australia.

4. (initial capital letter) a self-governing territory associated with the U.S.: official designation of Puerto Rico.

5. (initial capital letter) the English government from the abolition of the monarchy in 1649 until the establishment of the Protectorate in 1653, sometimes extended to include the restoration of Charles II in 1660.

6. (initial capital letter) the official designation (rather than “State”) of four states of the U.S.: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

7. any group of persons united by some common interest.

8. the whole body of people of a nation or state; the body politic.

9. a state in which the supreme power is held by the people; a republican or democratic state.

10. Obsolete. the public welfare.

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Commonwealth ¹ British  

/ ˈkɒmənˌwɛlθ /

noun

1. Official name: the Commonwealth of Nations.  an association of sovereign states, almost all of which were at some time dependencies of the UK. All member states recognize the reigning British sovereign as Head of the Commonwealth

2. 1. the republic that existed in Britain from 1649 to 1660

   2. the part of this period up to 1653, when Cromwell became Protector

3. the official designation of Australia, four states of the US (Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia), and Puerto Rico

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commonwealth ² British  

/ ˈkɒmənˌwɛlθ /

noun

1. the people of a state or nation viewed politically; body politic

2. a state or nation in which the people possess sovereignty; republic

3. the body politic organized for the general good

4. a group of persons united by some common interest

5. obsolete the general good; public welfare

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Commonwealth Cultural  

1. A government established in Britain and Ireland in 1649, after the execution of King Charles I. It was in the form of a republic, under the leadership of the parliament. Oliver Cromwell soon assumed the supreme power in the Commonwealth and was given the title Lord Protector. After Cromwell's death in 1658, the Commonwealth quickly lost power, and the Restoration of the monarchy followed in 1660.

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Etymology

Origin of commonwealth

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English commun welthe; equivalent to common ( def. ) + wealth ( def. )

Explanation

A commonwealth refers to any group of people organized under a single government, particularly a republic. If you live in the United States of America, you live in a commonwealth. Comprised of the roots common, meaning "belonging to all," and wealth, meaning "happiness or riches," the word commonwealth originally referred to the government of England from 1649 to 1660. Nowadays, a commonwealth has come to mean any government in which all people involved have a say, or a loose formation of nations with a shared loyalty. It is also the official designation of a few states including, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia and some U.S. territories.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

commonwealth Commonwealth

Now, the commonwealth consistently ranks among the top states for book challenges, a distinction unknown to many of her students.

From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026

She appreciates, however, that her school district remains staunchly anti-censorship and gender-affirming in a commonwealth that ranks high for censorship.

From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026

From there the King and Queen will visit Virginia, before heading to the commonwealth country of Bermuda.

From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026

"Firstly, I would like to apologise to Canada for wearing it," he said in a CTV interview while in the commonwealth this week for Remembrance events.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2025

I thought it was fairly brave—or stupid—considering the commonwealth of Virginia had never considered it a priority to install lights on its highways and roads.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

Susan Egelstaff competed in badminton at three Commonwealth Games for Scotland, and is now a journalist with the Herald.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

U.S. headline inflation fell in June and core inflation was flat, prompting markets to lower the probability of a July Federal Reserve rate hike, said Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s Harry Ottley in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Since being promoted to open the batting in 2016, Beaumont was a regular in England's top order across formats until she lost her place in the Commonwealth Games squad in 2022.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

“The ship attacks underscore the risks around timely resumption in oil flows,” Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s John Oh said in a report.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

When we got home, Grampa settled into his living room chair to read the Commonwealth while I fiddled with the radio looking for a baseball game.

From "Mississippi Trial, 1955" by Chris Crowe

Related Words

• federation
• society