commonplace

Definition of commonplace

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

commonplace

noun

com·mon·place | \ ˈkä-mən-ˌplās

Definition of commonplace (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : 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.

2 archaic : a striking passage entered in a commonplace book

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Examples of commonplace in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective New offensive coordinator Chan Gailey brings a simpler scheme, and also was one of the first to incorporate spread concepts at the NFL level, which are now commonplace. — Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, "Tying up the loose ends of Patriots’ season," 11 Jan. 2020 That has been commonplace over the past month as Dubnyk and his wife Jen have searched for answers regarding her ongoing medical issues. — Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, "Jared Spurgeon feeling fortunate in return to Wild blue line," 19 Dec. 2019 Though the revolution was largely backed by the U.S., fights between revolutionaries and Texans were commonplace. — Jasmine Aguilera, Time, "'I Cry All the Time.' A Century After 15 Mexican Men and Boys Were Massacred in Texas, Their Descendants Want Recognition," 27 Sep. 2019 From the high and mighty to those whose names aren’t remembered, these diseases were commonplace. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "From parade to pandemic: Museum looks at 1918’s deadly flu," 27 Sep. 2019 The elements of his raw, photojournalistic style—off-kilter composition, grainy details and blurred motion—are commonplace today. — Johnny Simon, Quartzy, "Robert Frank exposed an America that Americans weren’t ready to see," 11 Sep. 2019 Strict adherence to airline procedure would have meant circling around for another try, but violations were commonplace at the busy runway, investigators later determined. — Chris Hamby, New York Times, "How Boeing’s Responsibility in a Deadly Crash ‘Got Buried’," 20 Jan. 2020 Spinning Out discards it in favor of commonplace melodrama, faltering under the pressure. — Shirley Li, The Atlantic, "Female Athletes Get New Representation on TV," 14 Jan. 2020 The justices ruled unanimously that those acts were commonplace actions taken on behalf of constituents. — Richard Wolf, USA TODAY, "Supreme Court skeptical that 2013 'Bridgegate' scandal was a crime," 14 Jan. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Such a formula, while commonplace in many cities and counties, is foreign to New York City, where property taxes are often capped. — Matthew Haag, New York Times, "Tax System Favoring Central Park Co-ops and Brooklyn Brownstones Could End," 30 Jan. 2020 For other scientists propelled by the thrill of discovery, cannabis — a commonplace yet spectacularly complex plant — offers the chance to set a new course in human understanding and health. — Andrea Holmes, STAT, "The cannabis boom could be good for science — and scientists," 27 Jan. 2020 In November, the New York Times conducted an investigation, finding that issues with breathalyzers are commonplace across the county. — Colin Beresford, Car and Driver, "DUI Tests May Be Thrown Out over Bad Breathalyzer Maintenance," 19 Jan. 2020 AP Photo/Elise Amendola Though they were snubbed by the Golden Globes this year, female directors are becoming more commonplace in Hollywood, thanks in large part to Netflix. — Michelle Cheng, Quartz, "Netflix is far outpacing Hollywood in hiring female directors," 6 Jan. 2020 Today, speeds as high as 1 gigabit per second are commonplace in much of the United States. — BostonGlobe.com, "The more significant changes have come from the ways we use our gadgets — and the ways they use us.," 31 Dec. 2019 After his death, doctors found the 27-year-old Hernandez had advanced chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease linked to concussions and other head trauma commonplace in the NFL. — USA TODAY, "Netflix to release three part documentary: 'Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez'," 21 Dec. 2019 Something commonplace such as a pair of glasses or a hearing aid is an assistive technology in that sense, as is something like a screen reader. — Kate Cox, Ars Technica, "Accessibility, the future, and why Domino’s matters," 20 Oct. 2019 In the heart-wrenching public service announcement, commonplace back-to-school items like a bookbag, headphones, folders, and even a skateboard are flipped to serve a double purpose for helping kids get through a school shooting. — Tanya A. Christian, Essence, "WATCH: Startling PSA Depicts The Reality Of School Shootings For America’s Students," 19 Sep. 2019

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.