Word
commons
Phoneticscom·mons
US/ˈkɑmənz/
UK/kˈɒmənz/
Definitions
01shared land or park
n. a piece of open land in a town or village that everyone in the community can use.
n. land or resources belonging to or affecting the whole of a community; specifically, a central public park in older towns.
“The local residents gathered on the town commons for the annual summer festival.”
“Historically, the village commons provided essential grazing land for the livestock of local peasants who held no private property.”
02university dining hall
n. a large room at a college or university where students eat their meals together.
n. a central dining hall or shared social space within an academic institution.
“We usually meet at the student commons for lunch between our morning lectures.”
“The university renovated the old commons to include more study pods and a modern coffee bar for the residents.”
American English
Synonyms
03the House of Commons
n. the part of parliament in the UK or Canada where elected members meet to make laws.
n. the lower house of the parliament in the Westminster system, representing the common people rather than the nobility.
“The new law was debated in the Commons for several hours before the vote.”
“The Prime Minister faced a difficult session in the Commons as opposition members questioned the new economic policy.”
British English
Synonyms
Antonyms
04shared global resources
n. resources like air, water, or the internet that belong to everyone and not just one person.
n. the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials and shared knowledge.
“Scientists argue that the oceans are a global commons that we must all protect.”
“The digital commons refers to the vast body of information and software that is freely available for public use and modification.”
Academic
Synonyms
05the common people
n. the ordinary people in a society, rather than the rich or powerful leaders.
n. the commonalty or the third estate; the body of people who do not belong to the nobility or clergy.
“In the past, the king had to listen to the complaints of the commons.”
“The uprising was fueled by the growing resentment of the commons against the heavy taxes imposed by the aristocracy.”
Archaic · Formal
Real-World Examples
“This is the second time a backbench bill like this is going through the House of Commons.” “One of Lewis’s first votes, within a month of his election to the Commons, was in opposition to the defence estimates, but he was not a pacifist.” Etymology
Ellipsis of House of Commons.
* English and Irish (Mayo Tipperary and Galway): variant of Cummings. * English: variant of Common with post-medieval excrescent -s.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/commons