1
2
a
: belonging to or shared by two or more individuals or things or by all members of a group
a common friend
buried in a common grave
common interests
b
: belonging equally to two or more mathematical entities
triangles with a common base
c
: having two or more branches
common carotid artery
3
a
: occurring or appearing frequently : familiar
a common sight
b
: of the best known or most frequently seen kind
—used especially of plants and animals
the common housefly
c
: vernacular sense 2
common names
4
a
: widespread, general
common knowledge
b
: characterized by a lack of privilege or special status
common people
a common laborer
c
: just satisfying accustomed criteria : elementary
common decency
5
a
: falling below ordinary standards : second-rate
Oh hard is the bed they have made him, / And common the blanket and cheap …—
A. E. Housman
A. E. Housman
b
: lacking refinement : coarse
said, in his common vulgar way, the city would have to lump it—J. K. Jerome
J. K. Jerome6
: denoting nominal relations by a single linguistic form that in a more highly inflected language might be denoted by two or more different forms
common gender
common case
7
: of, relating to, or being common stock
commonly
adverb
1
commons plural
: the common people
2
commons plural in form but singular in construction
: a dining hall
Students usually have their meals at the commons.
3
commons or Commons plural in form but singular or plural in construction
a
: the political group or estate comprising the commoners
b
: the parliamentary representatives of the commoners
c
4
: the legal right of taking a profit in another's land in common with the owner or others
5
: a piece of land subject to common use: such as
a
: undivided land used especially for pasture
b
: a public open area in a municipality
A food and jazz festival will be held at the town common.
6
a
: a religious service suitable for any of various festivals
b
7
Examples of common in a Sentence
Adjective
They have a common ancestor.
The people on the island have a sense of common identity.
It is common practice for one town's fire department to help another town when there is a big fire.
Electric windows are a common feature in new cars.
“Smith” is a common name.
I think some of the most common flowers are also some of the prettiest.
cures for the common cold
Noun
The campus has several dining commons.
Recent Examples on the Web
Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
The brand, which was based on changing the status quo and perverting common ideas, was a success and Babenzien learned how to build a business.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
After all, one thing workingmen, women, and almost all of the enslaved had in common, on the commons, was the fact that none of them could vote.
—Zadie Smith, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for common
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
The last quarter of the eighteenth century was a pre-democratic era, and all efforts to read a Jacksonian or Tocquevillian faith in the wisdom of the common man into the American founding are misleading distortions.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
The brand, which was based on changing the status quo and perverting common ideas, was a success and Babenzien learned how to build a business.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
The space also houses FIT’s first non-classroom interior space that is meant to connect students — a full-floor commons with 20-foot ceilings that is accessible via an express escalator.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
After all, one thing workingmen, women, and almost all of the enslaved had in common, on the commons, was the fact that none of them could vote.
—Zadie Smith, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for common
Cite this Entry
“Common.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/common. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
common
1 of 2 adjective
com·mon
ˈkäm-ən 
1
: relating or belonging to or used by everyone : public
work for the common good
2
: belonging to or shared by two or more individuals or by the members of a group or set
a common ancestor
3
a
: widespread sense 1, general
facts of common knowledge
b
: adequate
common decency
4
: occurring or appearing frequently : familiar
a common sight
5
: not above the average in rank, merit, or social position
the common people
6
a
: falling below ordinary standards : second-rate
b
commonly
adverb
common
2 of 2 noun1
plural
: the common people
2
: a piece of land that is open to common use especially for pasture
—often used in plural
Medical Definition
common
adjective
com·mon
ˈkäm-ən
: formed of or dividing into two or more branches
the common facial vein
common iliac vessels
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