the Commonwealth

noun

: a U.S. state

—used officially of Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia

the Commonwealth of Kentucky

: 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 date of death and the next day for a U.S. senator, a representative, a territorial delegate or the resident commissioner from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. —

Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 30 Dec. 2024 Aliyev was due to attend an informal meeting of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a bloc of former Soviet countries founded after the collapse of the Soviet Union, in St. Petersburg. —

Pilar Arias, Fox News, 25 Dec. 2024 Four days earlier, 11 former Soviet republics had already established the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). —

Emily Brooks, The Hill, 25 Dec. 2024 Snow falls as a couple walks along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Boston on Friday. —

Phil Helsel, NBC News, 21 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for the Commonwealth

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“The Commonwealth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20Commonwealth. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.

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