What does "common" mean?

1. (happening often) happening many times or found in many places. 2. (shared) belonging to or shared by two or more people. 3. (ordinary) normal or plain; not special or high-ranking. 4. (impolite) behaving in a way that is not polite or shows a lack of education. 5. (legal tradition) describing laws that come from old traditions and court decisions rather than new written laws. 6. (public land) an area of grassy land in a town or village that everyone can use.

common

adj. · n.

US //ˈkɑmən// UK //kˈɒmən// com·mon

1 happening often (adj.)
A1 Beginner

happening many times or found in many places.

occurring frequently or found in large numbers; prevalent within a specific context.

Example

Colds are very common during the winter months.

Example

It is a common misconception that all desert environments are hot, as many experience freezing temperatures during the night.
- rare
- unusual
2 shared (adj.)
A2 Elementary

belonging to or shared by two or more people.

shared by, coming from, or done by more than one person or group.

Example

The two countries share a common language and history.

Example

The project succeeded because all departments worked toward a common goal, setting aside their individual priorities for the collective good.
- individual
- private

Show 4 more sensesShow fewer

3 ordinary (adj.)
B1 Intermediate

normal or plain; not special or high-ranking.

lacking distinction or rank; ordinary or unremarkable in quality.

Example

The common sparrow can be seen in almost every garden.

Example

Despite his vast wealth, he preferred the common comforts of a small cottage to the grandeur of a palace.
- extraordinary
- noble
4 impolite (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate British English

behaving in a way that is not polite or shows a lack of education.

denoting a lack of social refinement or perceived lower-class manners; often used pejoratively.

Example

She thought his loud shouting in the restaurant was very common.

Example

The headmistress considered such slang to be common and strictly forbade its use within the school grounds.
- refined
- polite
5 legal tradition (adj.)
C1 Advanced Technical Law

describing laws that come from old traditions and court decisions rather than new written laws.

pertaining to a legal system based on custom and court precedents rather than codified statutes.

Example

In some places, a common law marriage is recognized after a couple lives together for years.

Example

The judge's ruling was based on common law principles that had been established over several centuries of judicial history.
- traditional
- customary
- statutory
6 public land (n.)
B1 Intermediate British English

an area of grassy land in a town or village that everyone can use.

a tract of open land available for public use or historically used for collective grazing.

Example

People often walk their dogs on the village common.

Example

The local council debated whether to allow the travelling circus to set up their tents on the town common this summer.

Origin

From Middle English comun, from Anglo-Norman comun, from Old French comun (rare in the Gallo-Romance languages, but reinforced as a Carolingian calque of Proto-West Germanic gamainī (“common”) in Old French), from Latin commūnis (“common, public, general”), from Proto-Indo-European ḱom-moy-ni-s (“held in common”), from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“to exchange, change”). Displaced native Middle English imene, ȝemǣne (“common, general, universal”) (from Old English ġemǣne (“common, universal”)), Middle English mene, mǣne (“mean, common”) (also from Old English ġemǣne (“common, universal”)), Middle English samen, somen (“in common, together”) (from Old English samen (“together”)). Doublet of gmina and mean.

Idioms5 entries