noun
an association of nations consisting of the United Kingdom and several former British colonies that are now sovereign states but still pay allegiance to the British Crown
• Syn: ↑British Commonwealth
• Hypernyms: ↑commonwealth
• Member Meronyms:
↑Canada, ↑Australia, ↑Commonwealth of Australia, ↑Papua New Guinea, ↑Independent State of Papua New Guinea, ↑Ireland, ↑Republic of Ireland, ↑Irish Republic, ↑Eire, ↑India, ↑Republic of India, ↑Bharat, ↑New Zealand, ↑South Africa, ↑Republic of South Africa
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a voluntary association of independent nations and dependent territories linked by historical ties (as parts of the former British Empire) and cooperating on matters of mutual concern, esp. regarding economics and trade. Also called the Commonwealth. Formerly, British Commonwealth, British Commonwealth of Nations.
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Commonwealth of Nations,
a group of countries and their dependencies that were formerly under British rule and that are now independent but joined economically to the United Kingdom, including Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Botswana, Canada, Cyprus, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Western Samoa, and Zambia.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.