Definition of common
(Entry 1 of 2)
b
: known to the community
common nuisances
2a
: belonging to or shared by two or more individuals or things or by all members of a group
a common friend buried in a common grave common interests
b
: belonging equally to two or more mathematical entities
triangles with a common base
c
: having two or more branches
common carotid artery
3a
: occurring or appearing frequently : familiar
a common sight
b
: of the best known or most frequently seen kind
—used especially of plants and animals the common housefly
c
: vernacular sense 2
common names
4a
: widespread, general
common knowledge
b
: characterized by a lack of privilege or special status
common people a common laborer
c
: just satisfying accustomed criteria : elementary
common decency
5a
: falling below ordinary standards : second-rate
Oh hard is the bed they have made him, / And common the blanket and cheap …— A. E. Housman
b
: lacking refinement : coarse
said, in his common vulgar way, the city would have to lump it— J. K. Jerome
6
: denoting nominal relations by a single linguistic form that in a more highly inflected language might be denoted by two or more different forms
common gender common case
7
: of, relating to, or being common stock
common
nounDefinition of common (Entry 2 of 2)
1
commons plural
: the common people
2
commons plural in form but singular in construction
: a dining hall
Students usually have their meals at the commons.
3
commons or Commons plural in form but singular or plural in construction
a
: the political group or estate comprising the commoners
b
: the parliamentary representatives of the commoners
c
: house of commons
4
: the legal right of taking a profit in another's land in common with the owner or others
5
: a piece of land subject to common use: such as
a
: undivided land used especially for pasture
b
: a public open area in a municipality
A food and jazz festival will be held at the town common.
6a
: a religious service suitable for any of various festivals
b
: ordinary sense 3
7
: common stock
in common
: shared together
has a lot in common with his neighbors
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for common
The first known use of common was in the 13th century
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