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

These crimes became the norm in Chicago the way other forms of racial violence, such as lynchings and church bombings, became commonplace in the South. — Steve Chapman, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Chicago’s place in the reparations debate," 26 June 2019 Where the original shied away from elaborating too much on the complications of divorce and remarriage, the 1998 remake addressed a generation for whom divorce had become much more commonplace. — Kristen Lopez, Vox, "The Parent Trap, Meredith Blake, and the ongoing reclamation of “bitch”," 28 July 2018 As gay marriages become more commonplace, so will failed gay marriages. — Lauren Markoe, Washington Post, "Three years ago the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. What that means for churches remains murky.," 26 June 2018 Surcharges have become more commonplace in recent months as prices moved above $90. — Alison Sider, WSJ, "Airlines Raise Ticket Prices as Fuel Costs Surge," 6 June 2018 The hip-hop and electronic sounds that crept into country music 15 years ago — a novelty in songs by Trace Adkins and Big & Rich — have become commonplace, evidenced by two of 2019’s biggest hits. — Brian Mccollum, Detroit Free Press, "Faster Horses fest opens with a hard-partying crowd that's up for anything ... musically," 20 July 2019 Banks railed against the proliferation of guns in the community and called on the media to spread the message that the senseless killings that are commonplace in the city are not acceptable. — Annysa Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Autopsy to be performed Monday on 3-year-old girl shot, killed in weekend road rage incident on city's north side," 14 July 2019 Technical glitches, surprise breakdowns and human resentment are commonplace. — Drew Harwell, Washington Post, "As Walmart turns to robots, it’s the human workers who feel like machines," 7 June 2019 Among the challenges to making DNA data storage commonplace are the costs and speed of reading and writing DNA, which need to drop even further if the approach is to compete with electronic storage. — Sang Yup Lee, Scientific American, "DNA Data Storage Is Closer Than You Think," 1 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

But mass shootings have become so commonplace that some companies are now including them in the business risk sections of their annual reports. — Ellen Florian, Fortune, "Casinos and Restaurants Are Now Listing ‘Active Shooters’ as Risk Factors in Their Annual Reports," 8 Aug. 2019 Barack Obama is calling on all Americans to hold their political leaders accountable for failing to pass gun laws that would prevent at least some of the tragedies that have become so commonplace in the US. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "Obama’s statement on mass shootings is a message for Republicans, Democrats, and the world," 5 Aug. 2019 Scrolling through phones while dining, in meetings, and even while actively speaking to other people, is so commonplace that at this point there is little cultural abhorrence surrounding their use in almost any daily activity. — J.q. Louise, WSJ, "The Theater Is the Phone Addict’s Last Solace," 15 Apr. 2019 Such platforms are becoming de rigueur in Europe, leaving the US further behind, even as smartphones become commonplace and online commerce grows. — John Detrixhe, Quartz, "Elizabeth Warren is siding with Google and Amazon when it comes to digital payments," 25 July 2019 That idea is now commonplace in apps such as Snapchat and Instagram, which use AI software to instantly contort images of cats, nature scenes and people’s faces, often with convincing results. — Anchorage Daily News, "Panic over Russian company’s FaceApp is sign of new distrust of Internet," 19 July 2019 Nights like Thursday will become commonplace as one of the game’s most talented young players starts to realize his full potential. — Jon Tayler, SI.com, "Pitching Career on Hold, Shohei Ohtani the Hitter Is as Good as Ever," 13 June 2019 No topping is too extreme or unwieldy — slices of cake, doughnuts and oversized lollipops are as commonplace as maraschino cherries. — Leeanne Griffin, courant.com, "Six extreme Connecticut milkshakes that are perfectly Instagrammable," 7 June 2019 To reach it, father and son scaled scaffolding without the aid of safety belts, which now are commonplace. — Colleen Shalby, latimes.com, "It was the Coliseum’s mystery mural, until a teenage detective solved its 50-year puzzle," 12 July 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.