Dictionary
commonwealth
noun com·mon·wealth \-ˌwelth also -ˌweltth\
: a group of countries or states that have political or economic connections with one another
the Commonwealth : a U.S. state
: a political unit that is like a U.S. state but that pays no federal taxes and has only a representative in Congress who does not vote
Full Definition of COMMONWEALTH
1
archaic : commonweal 2
2
3
capitalized a : the English state from the death of Charles I in 1649 to the Restoration in 1660 b : protectorate 1b
4
: a state of the United States —used officially of Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia
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capitalized : a federal union of constituent states —used officially of Australia
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often capitalized : an association of self-governing autonomous states more or less loosely associated in a common allegiance (as to the British crown)
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often capitalized : a political unit having local autonomy but voluntarily united with the United States —used officially of Puerto Rico and of the Northern Mariana Islands
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First Known Use of COMMONWEALTH
15th century
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Rhymes with COMMONWEALTH
COMMONWEALTH Defined for Kids
commonwealth
noun com·mon·wealth \ˈkä-mən-ˌwelth\
Definition of COMMONWEALTH for Kids
1
: a political unit (as a nation or state)
2
: one of four states of the United States—Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, or Virginia
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