common

adjective

com·mon | \ ˈkä-mən

Definition of common

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : of or relating to a community at large : public work for the common good

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

noun

Definition 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 2

7 : common stock

in common

: shared together has a lot in common with his neighbors

Other Words from common Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about common

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Choose the Right Synonym for common

Adjective

common, ordinary, plain, familiar, popular, vulgar mean generally met with and not in any way special, strange, or unusual. common implies usual everyday quality or frequency of occurrence a common error lacked common honesty and may additionally suggest inferiority or coarseness. common manners ordinary stresses conformance in quality or kind with the regular order of things. an ordinary pleasant summer day a very ordinary sort of man plain is likely to suggest homely simplicity. plain hard-working people familiar stresses the fact of being generally known and easily recognized. a familiar melody popular applies to what is accepted by or prevalent among people in general sometimes in contrast to upper classes or special groups. a writer of popular romances vulgar, otherwise similar to popular, is likely to carry derogatory connotations (as of inferiority or coarseness). souvenirs designed to appeal to the vulgar taste

Adjective

common, ordinary, and familiar mean occurring often. common is used for something that is of the everyday sort and frequently occurs. Fishing boats are a common sight around here. ordinary is used when something is of the usual standard. I had an ordinary day. familiar is used of something that is well-known and easily recognized. That song is familiar.

Examples of common in a Sentence

Adjective

They have a common ancestor. The people on the island have a sense of common identity. It is common practice for one town's fire department to help another town when there is a big fire. Electric windows are a common feature in new cars. “Smith” is a common name. I think some of the most common flowers are also some of the prettiest. cures for the common cold

Noun

The campus has several dining commons.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Fox and News Corp, parent company of The Wall Street Journal, share common ownership. — Benjamin Mullin, WSJ, "Hulu Raises Price of Live TV Service, Cuts Cost of Basic Plan," 23 Jan. 2019 What most of the [shows] out there have in common are variety and a lighter energy. — Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, "All the Details About Tamron Hall's New Show You Need to Know," 22 Jan. 2019 To illustrate the concept of strand displacement, Qian et al, draw a simple analogy to two people, Amy and Adam, who have a few things in common and decide to date. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Caltech scientists use DNA tiles to play tic-tac-toe at the nanoscale," 29 Dec. 2018 Ferragamo has hired prominent social media figures to work on a digital marketing campaign, says the brokerage, noting an initiative of this scale is common practice for luxury brands, but a first for the shoemaker. — WSJ, "European Equities Market Talk Roundup," 15 Jan. 2019 According to the World Health Organization, depression is an extremely common mental health disorder affecting more than 300 million people of all ages worldwide. — Jennifer Lance, Glamour, "Kate Middleton's Brother James Wrote a Powerful Essay About Mental Health," 12 Jan. 2019 Given that Queen Bee, a common nickname for Beyoncé, hasn't been singing since the '50s, many online instead ran with the empress part of the clue. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "This Fan Theory of Who Is the Bee on 'The Masked Singer' Is Definitely Right," 10 Jan. 2019 And today, threats like doxing, reporting of work, and white gatekeeping are common tactics used to silence those who speak that truth. — Rachel Elizabeth Cargle, Harper's BAZAAR, "When White People Are Uncomfortable, Black People Are Silenced," 9 Jan. 2019 And yet, while there’s nothing quotidian about the food, the room is what every creative wishes their common living space could look like—a state-of-the-art industrial kitchen carved out of the original raw historic warehouse space. — Pilar Guzmán, Condé Nast Traveler, "South Africa’s Other Big Five," 20 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Climate change is a classic tragedy of the commons: every country acting in its own self-interest contributes to depleting a joint resource, making the world worse for everyone. — Cathleen O'grady, Ars Technica, "The US would suffer some of the biggest costs of climate change," 30 Sep. 2018 But communism is the only thing which says all things should be brought into the hands of commons to benefit all people. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "Meet Ash Sarkar, the Communist Who Called Piers Morgan an "Idiot"," 15 July 2018 The biggest thing Rhodes and Mercury had in common was perhaps their flair, hers visible in her electric wigs and heavy makeup, his in his gender-fluid costumes. — Brooke Bobb, Vogue, "Ahead of the Release of Bohemian Rhapsody, Zandra Rhodes Models the Wedding Top Freddie Mercury Fell in Love With," 30 Oct. 2018 During training camp the Tiger-Cats slept in twin beds at Les Prince Hall, swiped into the commons for team meals, held nightly meetings inside academic auditoriums. — Alex Prewitt, SI.com, "Johnny Manziel’s Last Chance—as a Backup in the CFL," 16 June 2018 Coughing and rustling is common between movements at New York concerts, but this time there seemed almost a collective gasp after the first movement, as if listeners had been holding their breath throughout. — New York Times, "Review: We Held Our Breath Through Simon Rattle’s Mahler," 8 May 2018 This would be a tragedy of the commons and for the Constitution. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "The Interstate Tax Grab," 15 Apr. 2018 Short says to look out for these commons signals that our bodies are fatigued and our ability to drive may be impaired: Yawning. — NBC News, "How to tell if you're too tired to drive — and what to do if you are," 8 July 2018 The house, built only a few blocks from the 143rd Street railroad station, was made in an architectural style common at the time and used lightweight lumber available through the railroad. — David Gleisner, Daily Southtown, "Orland Park's 'first and oldest' home is on the market," 2 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'common.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

15 Feb 2019

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The first known use of common was in the 13th century

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More Definitions for common

common

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of common

(Entry 1 of 2)

: belonging to or shared by two or more people or groups

: done by many people

: occurring or appearing frequently : not rare

common

noun

English Language Learners Definition of common (Entry 2 of 2)

: a public area or park usually in the center of a town or city

US : a place where meals are served at a school, college, etc.

See the full definition for common in the English Language Learners Dictionary

common

adjective

com·mon | \ ˈkä-mən

Kids Definition of common

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : affecting, belonging to, needed by, or used by everybody for the common good a common room

2 : shared by two or more individuals or by the members of a family or group a common ancestor

3 : general entry 1 sense 1 common knowledge

4 : occurring, appearing, or used frequently a common sight a common name

5 : not above the average in rank or status a common soldier

6 : not privileged or elite “… the common folks … live and die unnoticed.”— L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz

7 : expected from polite and decent people common courtesy

in common

: shared together We have a lot in common.

common

noun

Kids Definition of common (Entry 2 of 2)

: land (as a park) owned and used by a community

common

adjective

com·mon | \ ˈkäm-ən

Medical Definition of common

: formed of or dividing into two or more branches the common facial vein common iliac vessels

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common

adjective

com·mon

Legal Definition of common

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : of or relating to a community at large : public common defense

b : known to the community a common thief

2 : belonging to or shared by two or more persons or things or by all members of a group when the insured and the beneficiary perish in a common disaster common areas of the building

3 : of or relating to common stock common shares

common

noun

Legal Definition of common (Entry 2 of 2)

1 plural capitalized : house of commons

2 : the legal right of taking a profit in another's land in common with the owner or others the common of estovers the common of pasture

3 : a piece of land subject to common use: as

a : land jointly owned and used especially for pasture

b : a public open area in a municipality

4 : a condition of shared ownership : a condition in which a right is shared with an interest held by another person held the estate in common — see also tenancy in common at tenancy — compare severalty sense 1

5 : common stock at stock