commonplace

noun

com·mon·place | \ˈkä-mən-ˌplās

Definition of commonplace

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 archaic : a striking passage entered in a commonplace book

2a : an obvious or trite comment : truism It is a commonplace that a fool and his money are soon parted.

b : something commonly found A smartphone is a commonplace.

commonplace

adjective

Definition of commonplace (Entry 2 of 2)

: commonly found or seen : ordinary, unremarkable a commonplace occurrence the large mergers that had become commonplace Computers are commonplace in classrooms.

Other Words from commonplace Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about commonplace

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Examples of commonplace in a Sentence

Noun

It is a commonplace that we only use a small part of our brain's capacity. We now accept cell phones and laptop computers as commonplaces of everyday life.

Adjective

Drug use has become commonplace at rock concerts. He photographed commonplace objects like lamps and bowls.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Most officials considered leaking commonplace — part of the toolbox. — Nicholas Zimmerman, Daily Intelligencer, "Why Washington Insiders Decide to Leak," 16 May 2018 Speculation like this is commonplace, and in reality, nobody knows what's going on with the Ronaldo saga. — SI.com, "Real Madrid Deny Rumours of Dropping Cristiano Ronaldo's Release Clause to €120m," 29 June 2018 Such tradition and continuity across generations was once commonplace in retail apparel. — Steven Kurutz, New York Times, "The Last Great Clothing Store," 29 Mar. 2018 Stories like that one are commonplace in modern China. — Bill Powell, Newsweek, "Is This the End of China's Economic Miracle?," 26 Nov. 2014 Terms like slow food and farm-to-table are commonplace in most major cities these days, either to the delight or chagrin of restaurant goers and bar patrons. — Rachel King, Fortune, "Sustainable Cocktails Could Be the Next Big Trend in Bartending," 2 July 2018 Trump has made Twitter bullying commonplace among his minions. — Stephen A. Crockett Jr., The Root, "Trump Wants the Nobel Peace Prize, and With His Latest Moves, the Deplorable in Chief Just Might Win," 10 May 2018 That project was to guide students interested in writing, recording and releasing an album of original music, something that isn’t commonplace in high schools. — Chuck Fieldman, chicagotribune.com, "York High School students release album of original songs," 6 May 2018 Even Comme des Garçons Is Launching a Direct-to-Consumer Brand The once-disruptive practice is becoming commonplace in the fashion industry. — Cam Wolf, GQ, "Even Comme des Garçons Is Launching a Direct-to-Consumer Brand," 2 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

His idea that fine cooking should be based on fresh local ingredients seems commonplace today but was radical in its time. — Moira Hodgson, WSJ, "Review: The American ‘Gourmands’ Way’ Through France," 17 Nov. 2017 Uruguay was the only South American team to win its opening match in a tournament where upsets have been commonplace. — Derek Gatopoulos, chicagotribune.com, "Suarez seeks redemption in his 100th appearance for Uruguay," 20 June 2018 Although only a few tremors have been felt so far in Balmorhea, in Pecos earthquakes are now commonplace, said Joel Chavez, 25, a middle school science teacher there. — John Maccormack, San Antonio Express-News, "Rash of earthquakes prompts fear of oil boom in Balmorhea," 15 June 2018 By 2000, 10 or fewer meters a pixel was commonplace, and now 0.5 meters (1.5 feet) of resolution is possible. — Annette M. Kim, The Atlantic, "Satellite Images Can Harm the Poorest Citizens," 5 June 2018 Smartphones that can work with 5G will appear in 2019, and by 2020 the service is expected to be commonplace. — Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle, "5G is coming soon, bringing more internet choices, faster speeds," 22 May 2018 As Martin Booth explains in his classic history of the drug, poppies proliferated in America, and the use of opioids in over-the-counter drugs was commonplace. — Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "This nation pioneered modern life. Now epic numbers of Americans are killing themselves with opioids to escape it.," 20 Feb. 2018 Bike share programs, long a fixture of Asian cities that were once seen as harbingers of hip in America, are now commonplace in American metropolises. — Matthew Ormseth, courant.com, "Bike Share Startup Coming to Hartford This Spring," 22 Jan. 2018 As crossovers become more commonplace, the wagon becomes more rare. — Robert Duffer, chicagotribune.com, "Review: 2018 Jaguar XF Sportbrake is no family truckster," 9 July 2018

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