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

Keep scrolling for more

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

This combination — falling numbers of psychiatric hospital beds coupled with rising use of emergency departments by psychiatric patients — has made psychiatric boarding commonplace across the country. — Nathaniel Morris, Washington Post, "Suicidal? Be prepared to wait for care.," 19 May 2018 Voter turnouts were pathetic, and that has become commonplace for special elections. — George Skelton, latimes.com, "California's special elections are a waste of time and taxpayer money," 9 Apr. 2018 Exoskeletons may one day become commonplace on factory floors, construction sites and film sets. — Leigh Kamping-carder, WSJ, "Industrial Exoskeletons Give Workers a Lift," 17 Jan. 2019 They are often subjected to smear-campaigns, with threats against their children and attempts to undermine their credibility commonplace; sometimes from within their own communities. — Sarah Hurtes, Harper's BAZAAR, "Women Who Risk Everything to Defend the Environment," 30 Nov. 2018 When millennials were in high school, there weren’t as many discussions about arming classroom teachers to fend off would-be attackers; now it’s commonplace. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "America’s teens are extremely stressed out about school shootings," 31 Oct. 2018 Shows of force by the Chinese military in the Taiwan Strait, the narrow strip of water that divides the two, are also becoming more commonplace. — Katie Hunt, CNN, "China's ramping up pressure on Taiwan," 28 May 2018 The notion of adding tools and services into apps was becoming more commonplace. — Klint Finley, WIRED, "The Startup That Will Vet You for Your Next Job," 27 Apr. 2018 By the national title game, most true freshmen have been on campus for a year anyway, as January enrollment has become commonplace as a way to accelerate players’ readiness. — Rachel Bachman, WSJ, "How Clemson Emulated Silicon Valley to Win a National Title," 8 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

With traders meeting clients over instant messages instead of cocktails and cigars, jeans and fleece vests are more commonplace. — Ray A. Smith, WSJ, "Dressing for Deals, Wall Street Bankers Face Fashion Pitfalls," 12 Jan. 2019 Package-on-package stacking is already commonplace in the system-on-chip world. — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "Intel introduces Foveros: 3D die stacking for more than just memory," 12 Dec. 2018 Lows of 80 degrees and higher, now commonplace, were once very rare. — Jason Samenow, Washington Post, "Washington’s temperature hasn’t dropped below 80 degrees in 80 hours," 5 July 2018 And that would have been such a commonplace reaction in that time. — Julie Kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Caitriona Balfe Is Evolving with Outlander," 31 Dec. 2018 Launched in the Afghan capital in May, the station sheds light on everything from cosmetics (once banned under the Taliban) to women in sports (also previously banned) to domestic violence (tragically still commonplace). — Kiana Hayeri, Glamour, "A Look Inside the First All-Female TV News Station In Afghanistan," 11 Dec. 2018 But Möller thinks such commonplace show-and-tell would ultimately ruin the aesthetic that makes The Guilty thrill. — Nathan Mattise, Ars Technica, "The Guilty review: Even in 2018, a simple phone can be utterly thrilling," 21 Oct. 2018 There’s a point at which the number of unprecedented, monster storms—Harvey in Houston, Florence in the Carolinas, Michael on the Panhandle, and Maria in Puerto Rico—becomes frighteningly commonplace. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Climate change and the coming coastal real estate crash," 16 Oct. 2018 The move will not only drastically reshape marijuana in that country, but means that the entire West Coast — from Alaska to California — has become a marijuana marketplace where the formerly taboo drug is legal and commonplace. — Heidi Groover, The Seattle Times, "Canada is about to legalize cannabis; here’s what you need to know," 14 Oct. 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.