commutation
noun
com·mu·ta·tion
ˌkäm-yə-ˈtā-shən 
-yü-
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
The New York Times5
: the action of commutating
Synonyms
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
According to a memo the White House put out on Sunday, Biden plans to issue more pardons and commutations; take steps to protect federal lands; work to forgive more student debt; rein in artificial intelligence; and award more money from the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
Clemency is used to describe both pardons and commutations.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
The big picture: The 1,500 people who received commutations had all been serving their sentences in home confinement for at least a year — in accordance with the pandemic-era CARES Act, per a White House fact sheet.
—Andrew Childers, Axios, 12 Dec. 2024
What is a presidential pardon and a commutation of sentence?
—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for commutation 
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.
Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
Clemency is used to describe both pardons and commutations.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
The big picture: The 1,500 people who received commutations had all been serving their sentences in home confinement for at least a year — in accordance with the pandemic-era CARES Act, per a White House fact sheet.
—Andrew Childers, Axios, 12 Dec. 2024
What is a presidential pardon and a commutation of sentence?
—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for commutation
Dictionary Entries Near commutation
Cite this Entry
“Commutation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commutation. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
commutation
noun
com·mu·ta·tion
ˌkäm-yə-ˈtā-shən
2
: a reduction of a legal penalty
3
: an act of commuting
4
: the process of reversing the direction of an electric circuit
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share