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
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
The governor has made a tradition of issuing pardons and commutations ahead of the holiday season.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 18 Dec. 2025
Pressley’s office did not compile a report on Biden’s pardon and commutation record, a spokeswoman confirmed.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025
Presidents can extend a pardon, or complete legal forgiveness of a crime, or a commutation, which is the reduction of a sentence.
—Stewart Ulrich, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
Successful clemency petitions, either in the form of pardons or sentence commutations are rare — especially for someone convicted of violent crimes.
—Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 8 Dec. 2025
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.
Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 18 Dec. 2025
Pressley’s office did not compile a report on Biden’s pardon and commutation record, a spokeswoman confirmed.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025
Presidents can extend a pardon, or complete legal forgiveness of a crime, or a commutation, which is the reduction of a sentence.
—Stewart Ulrich, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
Successful clemency petitions, either in the form of pardons or sentence commutations are rare — especially for someone convicted of violent crimes.
—Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commutation
Cite this Entry
“Commutation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commutation. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.
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