commutation

noun

com·​mu·​ta·​tion ˌkäm-yə-ˈtā-shən 

-yü-

1

: exchange, trade

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

5

: the action of commutating

Synonyms

• back-and-forth
• barter
• dicker
• exchange
• quid pro quo
• swap
• trade
• trade-off
• truck

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

Presidents have broad authority to issue pardons and commutations, so long as the crimes are federal offenses and not state ones. —Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2025

Then, on April 3, 2024, for the first time in over three decades, DeLeon would get to experience life as a free man after being granted commutation for good behavior and advocacy work behind bars. —Tabius McCoy, Hartford Courant, 20 Feb. 2025

In the past, presidents have used it sparingly but between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, thousands of pardons and commutations have taken place over the past few months. —Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025

How many presidential pardons or sentence commutations have been granted to people from Illinois? —Jonathon Berlin, Chicago Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English commutacion, from Anglo-French, from Latin commutation-, commutatio, from commutare

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing commutation

• commutation ticket

Rhymes for commutation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

commutation

noun

com·​mu·​ta·​tion ˌkäm-yə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: exchange entry 1 sense 2, replacement

2

: a reduction of a legal penalty

3

: an act of commuting

4

: the process of reversing the direction of an electric circuit