common-law

1 of 2

adjective

com·​mon-law ˈkä-mən-ˌlȯ 

1

: of, relating to, or based on the common law

2

: relating to or based on a common-law marriage

common law

2 of 2

noun

: the body of law developed in England primarily from judicial decisions based on custom and precedent, unwritten in statute or code, and constituting the basis of the English legal system and of the system in all of the U.S. except Louisiana

Examples of common-law in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Aracely and her common-law husband had spent years living in the United States without legal status. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025

In legal terms, the lawsuits are saying oil and gas companies violated consumer-protection laws and committed common-law civil violations such as negligence. —Hannah Wiseman, The Conversation, 18 Apr. 2025

Noun

That language comes from the Restatement (Second) of Trusts (1959), which isn’t common law. —Marie Sapirie, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025

In 2023 the Supreme Court of Hawaii found that federal laws do not prevent climate claims based on state common law. —Hannah Wiseman, The Conversation, 18 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1619, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for common-law

• allantois
• baccarat
• chickasaw
• mackinaw
• overawe
• oversaw
• quebecois
• yojana
• aa
• aha
• bashaw
• bradshaw

Kids Definition

common law

noun

: a group of legal practices and traditions originating in judges' decisions in earlier cases and in social customs and having the same force in most of the U.S. as if passed into law by a legislative body

Legal Definition

common law

1 of 2 noun

: a body of law that is based on custom and general principles and embodied in case law and that serves as precedent or is applied to situations not covered by statute

the common law of torts

: as

a

: the body of law that was first developed in the English courts of law as distinguished from equity and that allows for particular remedies (as damages or replevin)

in suits at common law…the right of trial by jury shall be preserved

—U.S. Constitution amend. VII

compare equity sense 2

b

: the body of law developed in England that is the basis of U.S. federal law and of state law in all states except Louisiana compare civil law sense 2, statutory law

common-law

2 of 2 adjective

1

: of, relating to, or based on the common law

common-law immunity

2

: relating to or based on a common-law marriage

her common-law husband