1
2
a
: 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
3
a
: 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
4
a
: 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
5
a
: falling below ordinary standards : second-rate
Oh hard is the bed they have made him, / And common the blanket and cheap …—
A. E. Housman
A. E. Housman
b
: lacking refinement : coarse
said, in his common vulgar way, the city would have to lump it—J. K. Jerome
J. K. Jerome6
: 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
commonly
adverb
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
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.
6
a
: a religious service suitable for any of various festivals
b
7
Synonyms
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.
See More
Recent Examples on the WebKorin Miller, Health, 15 Sep. 2023
There was little to no daylight between the panelists’ views, and they were tethered by a common goal: calling attention to their own brands by sitting on the shoulders of the very movement that afforded them the freedom to sit on that stage and talk in circles.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023
And because virtually all hotels have several outlets in each of their rooms, chargers and charging docks are more common among higher-scale properties or hotels catering to business travelers and tech-savvy, younger clientele.
—Sofia Andrade, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Sep. 2023
So this is a hot sauce that is pretty common in Eastern Mediterranean cuisine.
—WIRED, 14 Sep. 2023
If that supply has a higher potency than they are used to or, as is increasingly common, is laced with fentanyl, that individual is at a high risk of overdosing.
—Popular Science, 14 Sep. 2023
Gray wolves and eastern coyotes can both have the following eye colors:
Yellow
Gold
Orange
Amber
Hazel
Light brown
Yellow and amber are most common for both.
—Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 14 Sep. 2023
It has not been explicitly confirmed if this unusual entrée was, in fact, related to an upcoming game at USF on Saturday, Sept. 16, though alligator sightings are quite common at the southern Florida school.
—Lizzy Rosenberg, Peoplemag, 14 Sep. 2023
Acting like doing their chores is an act of torture is common, and straight-up ignoring their parents is an 8-year-old hallmark.
—Kristi Pahr, Parents, 14 Sep. 2023
Christopher Soto, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2023
Unlike the waters up to 200 nautical miles from a country's coastline, the rest of the ocean is considered to be a global commons belonging to everyone and no one at the same time.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 6 Aug. 2023
The general area of the town center project is just northeast of the Pearl Road-Westwood Drive intersection and includes the Strongsville branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library, the site of Castletown Playground and the city commons at Pearl and Ohio 82.
—Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 25 July 2023
In a world of privatized commons and militarized borders, who sees or cannot be seen?
—WIRED, 9 Aug. 2023
The dining commons at the architecture building on campus — cheap.
—Amy Wong, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2023
But Antarctica, designated as a global commons, is different from any other place on Earth.
—Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 7 July 2023
Wind was strong enough to take down tree branch multiple feet in diameter on the common.
—Talia Lissauer, BostonGlobe.com, 26 July 2023
Imogen Napper, a marine scientist at the University of Plymouth in England, says the high seas and the Earth’s orbit are both global commons.
—Carla Delgado, Discover Magazine, 29 June 2023
See More
Adjective
Still, husband stitches may have been more common when healthcare providers routinely performed episiotomies during the 20th century.
—Korin Miller, Health, 15 Sep. 2023
There was little to no daylight between the panelists’ views, and they were tethered by a common goal: calling attention to their own brands by sitting on the shoulders of the very movement that afforded them the freedom to sit on that stage and talk in circles.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023
And because virtually all hotels have several outlets in each of their rooms, chargers and charging docks are more common among higher-scale properties or hotels catering to business travelers and tech-savvy, younger clientele.
—Sofia Andrade, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Sep. 2023
So this is a hot sauce that is pretty common in Eastern Mediterranean cuisine.
—WIRED, 14 Sep. 2023
If that supply has a higher potency than they are used to or, as is increasingly common, is laced with fentanyl, that individual is at a high risk of overdosing.
—Popular Science, 14 Sep. 2023
Gray wolves and eastern coyotes can both have the following eye colors:
Yellow
Gold
Orange
Amber
Hazel
Light brown
Yellow and amber are most common for both.
—Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 14 Sep. 2023
It has not been explicitly confirmed if this unusual entrée was, in fact, related to an upcoming game at USF on Saturday, Sept. 16, though alligator sightings are quite common at the southern Florida school.
—Lizzy Rosenberg, Peoplemag, 14 Sep. 2023
Acting like doing their chores is an act of torture is common, and straight-up ignoring their parents is an 8-year-old hallmark.
—Kristi Pahr, Parents, 14 Sep. 2023
Noun
In the early days of the internet, there was a movement to create a digital commons by making knowledge and culture free, open and accessible through alternatives to a copyright model.
—Christopher Soto, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2023
Unlike the waters up to 200 nautical miles from a country's coastline, the rest of the ocean is considered to be a global commons belonging to everyone and no one at the same time.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 6 Aug. 2023
The general area of the town center project is just northeast of the Pearl Road-Westwood Drive intersection and includes the Strongsville branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library, the site of Castletown Playground and the city commons at Pearl and Ohio 82.
—Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 25 July 2023
In a world of privatized commons and militarized borders, who sees or cannot be seen?
—WIRED, 9 Aug. 2023
The dining commons at the architecture building on campus — cheap.
—Amy Wong, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2023
But Antarctica, designated as a global commons, is different from any other place on Earth.
—Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 7 July 2023
Wind was strong enough to take down tree branch multiple feet in diameter on the common.
—Talia Lissauer, BostonGlobe.com, 26 July 2023
Imogen Napper, a marine scientist at the University of Plymouth in England, says the high seas and the Earth’s orbit are both global commons.
—Carla Delgado, Discover Magazine, 29 June 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'common.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Noun
Middle English commun, from Anglo-French, from Latin communis — more at mean
First Known Use
Adjective
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5
Time Traveler
The first known use of common was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing common
Articles Related to common
Dictionary Entries Near common
Cite this Entry
“Common.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/common. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
common
1 of 2 adjective
com·mon
ˈkäm-ən 
1
: relating or belonging to or used by everyone : public
work for the common good
2
: belonging to or shared by two or more individuals or by the members of a group or set
a common ancestor
3
a
: widespread sense 1, general
facts of common knowledge
b
: adequate
common decency
4
: occurring or appearing frequently : familiar
a common sight
5
: not above the average in rank, merit, or social position
a common soldier
the common people
6
a
: falling below ordinary standards : second-rate
b
commonly
adverb
common
2 of 2 noun1
plural
: the common people
2
: a piece of land that is open to common use especially for pasture
—often used in plural
Medical Definition
common
adjective
com·mon
ˈkäm-ən
: formed of or dividing into two or more branches
the common facial vein
common iliac vessels
Legal Definition
common
1 of 2 adjective
com·mon
1
a
: 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
2 of 2 noun1
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
More from Merriam-Webster on common
Nglish: Translation of common for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of common for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about common
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share