: commonly found or seen : ordinary, unremarkable
a commonplace occurrence
the large mergers that had become commonplace
Computers are commonplace in classrooms.
commonplaceness
noun
com·mon·place
ˈkä-mən-ˌplās 
Synonyms
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
Steve Levine, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
Since 2012, concussion protocols have become commonplace not only in NASCAR, but all professional sports.
—Greg Engle, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
But now, even extraordinary, violent events have also become almost commonplace.
—David McKenzie, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Motherhood is becoming more and more commonplace in professional tennis with approximately 20 moms on the WTA Tour, including six competing in the Miami Open singles main draw over the past week.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
Such facilities are becoming more commonplace as record-breaking heatwaves strike with increasingly regularity.
—Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024
Lab Results Lab results are commonplace in the CBD industry, often as an update every few months.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Meta said its agreements and relationships with Netflix are commonplace in a statement to Gizmodo.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
This arrangement is commonplace in traditional financial services and products, and digital asset ETF issuers should look to replicate these institutional-grade standards.
—Sebastian Widmann, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024
Sacred books are far from commonplace in ancient religions.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023
It’s become a commonplace in business to say the pace of change is faster than ever.
—Alan Murray, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2024
Affordable and durable but polished to a luxurious sheen, the compound has become a commonplace of modern architecture, found everywhere from subway stairwells to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
—Zoey Poll, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023
From the commonplace to the world changing, such examples of synchronicity are often dismissed as coincidence.
—Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2023
But a book that spent less of its time reprising our era’s commonplaces would have made better use of ours.
—Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2023
Walking with her is a slow and deliberate act in which commonplace fixtures become daunting obstacles: a curb is to be navigated with care; a short flight of steps has to be accounted for with additional travel time.
—Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2023
The pandemic has made videoconferencing commonplace, and many people remain wary of large gatherings.
—Adam Liptak, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2023
Adjective
Despite being so commonplace, heart disease is difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are similar to those of other diseases like respiratory ailments.
—Steve Levine, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
Since 2012, concussion protocols have become commonplace not only in NASCAR, but all professional sports.
—Greg Engle, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
But now, even extraordinary, violent events have also become almost commonplace.
—David McKenzie, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Motherhood is becoming more and more commonplace in professional tennis with approximately 20 moms on the WTA Tour, including six competing in the Miami Open singles main draw over the past week.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
Such facilities are becoming more commonplace as record-breaking heatwaves strike with increasingly regularity.
—Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024
Lab Results Lab results are commonplace in the CBD industry, often as an update every few months.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Meta said its agreements and relationships with Netflix are commonplace in a statement to Gizmodo.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
This arrangement is commonplace in traditional financial services and products, and digital asset ETF issuers should look to replicate these institutional-grade standards.
—Sebastian Widmann, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
Mullins depicts the commonplace in a manner that allows reveries to sometimes seep in.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024
Sacred books are far from commonplace in ancient religions.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023
It’s become a commonplace in business to say the pace of change is faster than ever.
—Alan Murray, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2024
Affordable and durable but polished to a luxurious sheen, the compound has become a commonplace of modern architecture, found everywhere from subway stairwells to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
—Zoey Poll, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023
From the commonplace to the world changing, such examples of synchronicity are often dismissed as coincidence.
—Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2023
But a book that spent less of its time reprising our era’s commonplaces would have made better use of ours.
—Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2023
Walking with her is a slow and deliberate act in which commonplace fixtures become daunting obstacles: a curb is to be navigated with care; a short flight of steps has to be accounted for with additional travel time.
—Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2023
The pandemic has made videoconferencing commonplace, and many people remain wary of large gatherings.
—Adam Liptak, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commonplace.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near commonplace
Cite this Entry
“Commonplace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commonplace. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
commonplace
1 of 2 noun
com·mon·place
ˈkäm-ən-ˌplās
: something that is often seen, heard, or met with
commonplace
2 of 2 adjective
: very common or ordinary
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