common
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- average, commonplace, conventional, customary, everyday, familiar, frequent, habitual, ordinary, regular, routine, standard, stock, usual
- popular, accepted, general, prevailing, prevalent, universal, widespread
- collective, communal, popular, public, social
- vulgar, coarse, inferior, plebeian

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Antonyms: individual, rare, uncommon, extraordinary
Contrasted words: personal, private, restricted, infrequent, occasional, unfrequent, casual, chance, incidental, exceptional, noteworthy, remarkable, excellent, marvelous, prodigious, wonderful, aberrant, divergent, eccentric
Related Words: general, generic, universal, like, reciprocal, similar, corporate, popular, public, repetitious, routine, usual, down-to-earth, matter-of-fact, prosy, unexciting, dull, flat, trite, stale, uninteresting, garden, park, pleasance, pleasure ground

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English Thesaurus: common, widespread, commonplace, prevalent, rife, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. com‧mon¹ S1 W1 /ˈkɒmən $ ˈkɑː-/ adjective
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: commun, from Latin communis]

1. HAPPENING OFTEN happening often and to many people or in many places Antonym : rare:
Heart disease is one of the commonest causes of death.
common among
Bad dreams are fairly common among children.
it’s common for somebody to do something
It’s common for new fathers to feel jealous of the baby.
► Do not say ‘It is common that ... ’ Say ‘It is common for ... ’ :
It is common for children to be afraid (NOT It is common that children are afraid) of the dark.

2. A LOT existing in large numbers Antonym : rare:
Daisies are very common flowers.

3. SAME/SIMILAR [usually before noun, no comparative] common aims, beliefs, ideas etc are shared by several people or groups:
people working towards a common goal
countries that share a common language
common to
a theme that is common to all her novels

4. common ground facts, features, or beliefs that are shared by people or things that are very different
common ground between
There is a great deal of common ground between management and trade unions on this issue.

5. SHARED BY EVERYONE [no comparative] belonging to or shared by everyone in a society
common to
These problems are common to all societies.
Joe was chosen as captain by common consent (=with everyone’s agreement).

6. common knowledge something everyone knows:
It is common knowledge that travel broadens the mind.

7. the common good the advantage of everyone:
They work together for the common good.

8. common practice a usual or accepted way of doing things:
It was common practice for families to attend church together.

9. ORDINARY [only before noun, no comparative] ordinary and not special in any way:
common salt
The 20th century was called the century of the common man (=ordinary people).
He insists that he is a revolutionary, not a common criminal.

10. common courtesy/decency/politeness a polite way of behaving that you expect from people:
It would be common courtesy to return their hospitality.

11. common or garden British English ordinary Synonym : garden-variety American English:
a common or garden dispute

12. make/find common cause (with/against somebody) formal to join with other people or groups in order to achieve something:
France and Russia made common cause against Britain.

13. common touch the ability of someone in a position of power or authority to talk to and understand ordinary people – used to show approval:
He’s made it to the top without losing the common touch.

14. SOCIAL CLASS British English old-fashioned an offensive word used for describing someone from a low social class

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. common² noun

1. have something in common (with somebody) to have the same interests, attitudes etc as someone else:
I found I had a lot in common with these people.
four women with almost nothing in common

2. have something in common (with something) if objects or ideas have something in common, they share the same features:
The two games have much in common.

3. in common with somebody/something in the same way as someone or something else:
In common with a lot of other countries, we’re in an economic recession.

4. [countable] a large area of open land in a town or village that people walk or play sport on:
Boston Common

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

common
adj.
I. happening/found often
VERBS be, seem | become | remain
ADV. extremely, very | increasingly | fairly, quite These problems now seem fairly common.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

common
II. shared
VERBS be
PREP. to This attitude is common to most young men in the armed services.
PHRASES have sth in common Jane and I have nothing in common (= share no interests, ideas, etc.). I have nothing in common with Jane. The two cultures have a lot in common (= have the same features, characteristics, etc.).
hold sth in common They hold the property as tenants in common (= they share it).
in common with Britain, in common with (= like) many other industrialized countries, has experienced major changes over the last 100 years.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

common
III. showing a lack of education
VERBS be, seem, sound I wish you wouldn't use that word?it sounds so common.
ADV. very | a bit, rather, slightly I don't like Sandra. She seems a bit common to me.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

common
I.
noun
1.
BAD: I think that people in common have good sides and bad sides.
GOOD: I think that people in general have good sides and bad sides.

Usage Note:
If you have the same background, interests, tastes etc as someone, the two of you have a lot in common : 'I'm sure the marriage won't last. They've got nothing in common.'
When you mean that something happens or is true 'in most situations', use in general : 'In general, parents care more about their children's health than about their own.' 'Students in general have very little money to spend on luxuries.'

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2.
BAD: There are so many things in common between us.
GOOD: We have so many things in common.

Usage Note:
Two or more people have (got) something in common : 'We've moved in the same circles over the last ten years and so we have a great deal in common.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

common
II.
adjective
BAD: In Spain it is common that people turn up at your house without warning.
GOOD: In Spain it is common for people to turn up at your house without warning.

Usage Note:
it is common + for sb to do sth (NOT that ): 'It's quite common for new fathers to feel jealous for the first few weeks.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

common if something is common, there are a lot of them:
Jones is a very common name in Great Britain.
Foxes are common in the area.
Personal computers are nearly as common in American homes as televisions.
widespread happening in a lot of places or done by a lot of people:
Racism is much more widespread than people imagine.
The report claimed that the problem of police brutality was widespread.
the widespread availability of antibiotics
commonplace [not before noun] especially written common in a particular place or time – used especially when saying that this seems surprising or unusual:
Crimes such as robbery are commonplace in big cities.
Expensive foreign cars are commonplace in this Chicago suburb.
prevalent formal common in a place or among a group of people – used especially about illnesses, problems, or ideas:
Flu is most prevalent during the winter months.
Depression remains one of the most prevalent health disorders in the US.
This belief is more prevalent among men than women.
rife /raɪf/ [not before noun] very common – used about illnesses or problems:
AIDS is rife in some parts of the world.
ubiquitous /juːˈbɪkwətəs, juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/ formal very common and seen in many different places – often used humorously in written descriptions:
He was carrying the ubiquitous MP3 player.
In Britain, CCTV cameras are ubiquitous.
something is everywhere especially spoken used when saying that you can see something a lot in many different places:
Images of the dictator were everywhere.
Microchips seem to be everywhere these days – even in washing machines.
One of the first things you notice in Amsterdam are the bicycles – they’re everywhere.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

normal usual, typical, and as you would expect it to be:
Is this cold weather normal for the time of year?
It had been another normal working day in the office.
ordinary (also regular especially American English) not special, unusual, or different from normal:
They lived in an ordinary three-bedroomed house.
It looks like an ordinary car, but it uses solar power.
Would you like a regular salad or a Caesar salad?
I just want an ordinary bicycle, not a mountain bike.
average [only before noun] around the usual level or amount:
She is of average height.
He is of above average intelligence.
The average price of a pint of milk has gone up.
standard normal – used about methods of doing something, or about the size, shape, features etc of products:
It’s standard practice to X-ray hand-baggage at most airports.
We stock shoes in all the standard sizes.
routine used about things that are done regularly as part of a series of things:
The fault was discovered during a routine check of the plane.
routine tasks such as shopping and cooking
everyday [only before noun] used about things that happen or that you use as part of normal life:
He painted scenes of everyday life in France.
Sally was still dressed in her everyday clothes.
common used about birds and plants that are of the most usual type, and in the phrase the common people (=people who are not rich and powerful):
the common goldfish
an alliance between the aristocracy and the common people
conventional [only before noun] of the kind that is usually used – used when comparing this with a different or special type:
The engine is more efficient than a conventional diesel engine.
the drugs used in conventional medicine
conventional weapons (=not nuclear, chemical, or biological)
conventional ovens and microwaves

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

common
ˈkɔmən
See: in common

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲