commonwealth

UK: 'commonwealth', 'Commonwealth': /ˈkɒmənwɛlθ/

US: /ˈkɑmənˌwɛlθ/

US: (kom′ən welth′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

com•mon•wealth /ˈkɑmənˌwɛlθ/   n. 

1. Government [countable] the people of a nation or state, seen as a political unit.
2. Government [countable* Commonwealth] a group of self-governing nations associated by their own choice and linked with common objectives.
3. Government the Commonwealth, [proper noun] Commonwealth of Nations.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

com•mon•wealth  (kom′ən welth′), n. 

1. Government (cap.) a group of sovereign states and their dependencies associated by their own choice and linked with common objectives and interests:
   the British Commonwealth.
2. Government the Commonwealth. See Commonwealth of Nations. 
3. Government (cap.) a federation of states:
   the Commonwealth of Australia.
4. Government (cap.) a self-governing territory associated with the U.S.: official designation of Puerto Rico.
5. Government (cap.) [Eng. Hist.] 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. Government (cap.) the official designation (rather than "State'') of four states of the U.S.: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
7. Government any group of persons united by some common interest.
8. Government the whole body of people of a nation or state;
   the body politic.
9. Government a state in which the supreme power is held by the people;
   a republican or democratic state.
10. Government [Obs.] the public welfare.

• late Middle English commun welthe 1375–1425

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

commonwealth / 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. a group of persons united by some common interest

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Commonwealth / ˈkɒmənˌwɛlθ/ noun the Commonwealth ⇒

1. 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
   Official name: the Commonwealth of Nations
2. the republic that existed in Britain from 1649 to 1660
3. the official designation of Australia, four states of the US (Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia), and Puerto Rico