commutation

noun

com·​mu·​ta·​tion ˌkäm-yə-ˈtā-shən 

-yü-

1

: exchange, trade

2

: replacement

specifically : a substitution of one form of payment or charge for another

a commutation by money payment for the exacted service

3

: a change of a legal penalty or punishment to a lesser one

commutation of a death sentence

4

: an act or process of commuting

… a ridge of hills makes daily commutation to San Francisco arduous.

—The New York Times

5

: the action of commutating

Synonyms

• back-and-forth
• barter
• dicker
• exchange
• quid pro quo
• swap
• trade
• trade-off
• truck

Examples of commutation in a Sentence

He appealed for a commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment.

an international commutation of food for oil

Recent Examples on the Web

Listen to this article Hundreds of requests for pardons and clemency petitions for federal convictions are filed each year, but usually just a few result in a presidential pardon or commutation of sentence. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025

The commutations were meant to stop President-elect Donald Trump from restarting executions, which were halted during the Biden administration. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025

President Trump will be giving clemency, pardons and commutations, to J6’ers!! —Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Jan. 2025

What's Next Trump cannot reverse Biden's commutations, so Taylor and the other 36 men whose sentences were changed will not face execution. —George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English commutacion, from Anglo-French, from Latin commutation-, commutatio, from commutare

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing commutation

• commutation ticket

Kids Definition

commutation

noun

com·​mu·​ta·​tion ˌkäm-yə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: exchange entry 1 sense 2, replacement

2

: a reduction of a legal penalty

3

: an act of commuting

4

: the process of reversing the direction of an electric circuit