Commonwealth Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)

1

[count]

:

a group of countries or states that have political or economic connections with one another

— often + of

• a commonwealth of states

2

a

the Commonwealth

:

a U.S. state

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

• the Commonwealth of Kentucky

b

[count]

:

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

— used officially of Puerto Rico and of the Northern Mariana Islands

3

the Commonwealth

:

the countries that were once part of the British Empire