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¹common

adjective com·mon \ˈkä-mən\

: belonging to or shared by two or more people or groups

: done by many people

: occurring or appearing frequently : not rare

Full Definition of COMMON

a : of or relating to a community at large : public <work for the common good>

b : known to the community <common nuisances>

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>

b : belonging equally to two or more mathematical entities <triangles with a common base>

c : having two or more branches <common carotid artery>

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 2 <common names>

a : widespread, general <common knowledge>

b : characterized by a lack of privilege or special status <common people>

c : just satisfying accustomed criteria : elementary <common decency>

a : falling below ordinary standards : second-rate

b : lacking refinement : coarse

: 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>

: of, relating to, or being common stock

— com·mon·ly adverb

— com·mon·ness \-mən-nəs\ noun

See common defined for English-language learners

See common defined for kids

Origin of COMMON

Middle English commun, from Anglo-French, from Latin communis — more at mean

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to COMMON

Synonyms: common or garden [chiefly British], commonplace, everyday, familiar, frequent, garden-variety, household, ordinary, quotidian, routine, ubiquitous, usual, a dime a dozen

Antonyms: extraordinary, infrequent, rare, seldom, uncommon, unfamiliar, unusual

Synonym Discussion of COMMON

common, ordinary, plain, familiar, popular, vulgar mean generally met with and not in any way special, strange, or unusual. common implies usual everyday quality or frequency of occurrence <a common error> <lacked common honesty> and may additionally suggest inferiority or coarseness <common manners>. ordinary stresses conformance in quality or kind with the regular order of things <an ordinary pleasant summer day> <a very ordinary sort of man>. plain is likely to suggest homely simplicity <plain hard-working people>. familiar stresses the fact of being generally known and easily recognized <a familiar melody>. popular applies to what is accepted by or prevalent among people in general sometimes in contrast to upper classes or special groups <a writer of popular romances>. vulgar, otherwise similar to popular, is likely to carry derogatory connotations (as of inferiority or coarseness) <souvenirs designed to appeal to the vulgar taste>.

Rhymes with COMMON

Brahman, shaman, yamen

²common

noun

: a public area or park usually in the center of a town or city

commons : a place where meals are served at a school, college, etc.

Full Definition of COMMON

plural : the common people

plural but sing in constr : a dining hall

plural but sing or plural in constr often capitalized

a : the political group or estate comprising the commoners

b : the parliamentary representatives of the commoners

c : house of commons

: the legal right of taking a profit in another's land in common with the owner or others

: a piece of land subject to common use: as

a : undivided land used especially for pasture

b : a public open area in a municipality

a : a religious service suitable for any of various festivals

b : ordinary 2

: common stock

— in common

: shared together <has a lot in common with his neighbors>

See common defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of COMMON

14th century

COMMON Defined for Kids

¹common

adjective com·mon \ˈkä-mən\

Definition of COMMON for Kids

: affecting, belonging to, needed by, or used by everybody <for the common good> <a common room>

: shared by two or more individuals or by the members of a family or group <a common ancestor>

: ¹general 1 <common knowledge>

: occurring, appearing, or used frequently <a common sight> <a common name>

: not above the average in rank or status <a common soldier>

: not privileged or elite <“… the common folks … live and die unnoticed.” — L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz>

: expected from polite and decent people <common courtesy>

— in common

: shared together <We have a lot in common.>

Synonym Discussion of COMMON

common, ordinary, and familiar mean occurring often. common is used for something that is of the everyday sort and frequently occurs. <Fishing boats are a common sight around here.> ordinary is used when something is of the usual standard. <I had an ordinary day.> familiar is used of something that is well-known and easily recognized. <That song is familiar.>