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
The White House isn’t ruling out a potential commutation for Hunter Biden after his conviction
Wreck of the last ship of famed Anglo-Irish explorer Shackleton found off the coast of Canada
A 98-year-old man’s liver was donated.
—Sun Sentinel, 12 June 2024
However, numerous courts have upheld his 2021 conviction and any commutation of his sentence is almost certain to provoke an explosive backlash in Kansas City.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2024
The Carlsons collected letters to oppose the commutation and again took their concerns to the state legislature.
—Taylor Hartz, Hartford Courant, 20 May 2024
The White House on Wednesday declined to rule out a presidential commutation for Hunter Biden following his conviction earlier this week on federal gun charges.
—Benjamin Siegel, ABC News, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for commutation 
Sun Sentinel, 12 June 2024
However, numerous courts have upheld his 2021 conviction and any commutation of his sentence is almost certain to provoke an explosive backlash in Kansas City.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2024
The Carlsons collected letters to oppose the commutation and again took their concerns to the state legislature.
—Taylor Hartz, Hartford Courant, 20 May 2024
The White House on Wednesday declined to rule out a presidential commutation for Hunter Biden following his conviction earlier this week on federal gun charges.
—Benjamin Siegel, ABC News, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for commutation
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commutation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Commutation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commutation. Accessed 7 Jul. 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
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