How to Use common in a Sentence

common

1 of 2 adjective
Definition of commonnext
Synonyms for commonnext
  • The people on the island have a sense of common identity.
  • I think some of the most common flowers are also some of the prettiest.
  • Electric windows are a common feature in new cars.
  • It is common practice for one town's fire department to help another town when there is a big fire.
  • They have a common ancestor.
  • The most common cause of sticky keys is the buildup of dust, dirt and debris over time.
    — Ken Colburn, The Arizona Republic, 16 July 2023
  • Here are the answers to some common questions about the new school year.
    — Jill Tucker, SFChronicle.com, 12 Aug. 2020
  • The mushiness that’s common in canned beans is nowhere to be found.
    — Alex Delany, Bon Appetit, 23 Oct. 2017
  • The one thing all had in common was their dedication to the city.
    — Carrie Napoleon, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2022
  • What do pink tulips and pink highlighter have in common?
    — Allure, 1 Apr. 2022
  • One of the most common problems is a skin rash that can vary from mild to severe.
    — Doru Paul, Verywell Health, 13 May 2023
  • There are other lease terms, but these are the most common.
    — Houston Chronicle, 29 June 2018
  • The water was low, and very clear, which was common for that time of year.
    — Sarah Bowman, IndyStar, 19 Dec. 2019
  • Caves says looking to the stars for guidance is common among many faiths.
    — Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2022
  • Great whites used to be common off the Cape of Good Hope.
    — The Economist, 24 Feb. 2021
  • Here are some of the most common and popular medicines from plants and what they are used for.
    — Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 15 July 2023
  • Cedar and pine boughs are common enough in many places, but fir boughs make the softest bed.
    — Popular Science, 28 May 2020
  • Giglio lays out three of the most common fouls people make that could lead to lukewarm wine.
    — Erin Cavoto, Country Living, 20 Feb. 2020
  • Grayes has a lot in common with the players mentioned above.
    — Stephen Means, cleveland, 29 Mar. 2022
  • The splitter is common in Japan, but rare here in the majors.
    — Si.com Staff, SI.com, 9 Apr. 2018
  • The Great tries to find something in common with her mother.
    — Washington Post, 2 Aug. 2021
  • Most tell me it’s quite common for men to come in and try women’s things on.
    — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2021
  • Hoaxes — and of course there are some — don’t seem to be common.
    — NBC News, 3 Jan. 2018
  • Play store for apps, by far the most common way to get Android apps.
    — Sam Schechner, WSJ, 28 Sep. 2020
  • Here’s a look at a few of the most common credit card categories.
    — Byivana Pino, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2022
  • What do light globes, used tuna cans, and eye hooks have in common?
    — Marlisse Cepeda, Country Living, 8 Nov. 2018
  • Transplant survivors have one thing in common – a strong will to live.
    — Wunmi Bakare, Essence, 19 June 2021
  • His common refrain: More than three decades as the king was long enough.
    — Paul Newberry, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Jan. 2021
  • Kneading seems to be more common in some cats than others.
    — CNN, 23 Aug. 2021
  • The common theme, people wrap it in plastic wrap or a plastic bag.
    — Kristine M. Kierzek, Journal Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2023
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common

2 of 2 noun
  • The campus has several dining commons.
  • Leighton wasn't in the commons area of the school when the shooting happened.
    — Darcy Costello, The Courier-Journal, 14 Mar. 2018
  • Her research proved that the tragedy of the commons is not inevitable.
    — Ellen McGirt, Fortune, 12 June 2019
  • MacFeely has come to think of the issue as a tragedy of the commons.
    — Jeneen Interlandi, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2023
  • There are many reasons for the slow erosion of this commons.
    — Alexis C. Madrigal, The Atlantic, 31 May 2018
  • This would be a tragedy of the commons and for the Constitution.
    — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 15 Apr. 2018
  • What does the Bitcoin craze have in common with dot-coms and tulips?
    — David Rovella, Bloomberg.com, 17 Jan. 2018
  • But less than half of city residents met that goal—the tragedy of the commons, in action.
    — Aryn Baker, TIME.com, 8 Feb. 2018
  • What all these ideas have in common: Making the most of extra years.
    — Chris Taylor, Fortune, 13 Dec. 2017
  • He aimed at the sophomores who clustered in the same part of the commons each morning, Kaden said.
    — Justin Sayers, The Courier-Journal, 8 Feb. 2018
  • In the commons area, there are spirit window boxes for each class.
    — Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com, 20 Oct. 2017
  • Even politicians who have little in common seemed to unite in their misgivings about the league.
    — Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2021
  • Breakout spaces off the school's commons have also been framed in.
    — Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 17 July 2019
  • The school’s center will also have a large commons area where students will eat lunch.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Post-Tribune, 13 July 2018
  • But those grievances have one thing in common: fear that too much power is in the hands of too few companies.
    — New York Times, 8 Sep. 2019
  • Wind was strong enough to take down tree branch multiple feet in diameter on the common.
    — Talia Lissauer, BostonGlobe.com, 26 July 2023
  • Lee and Momeni had friends in common but were not close, Dalton said.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2023
  • In that situation exists a true commons where one person’s use means less left for the rest.
    — Gail Cornwall, The Atlantic, 4 May 2017
  • My friend and his wife live on the edge of a park, not a former common but land that was levelled by German bombing.
    — Eula Biss, The New Yorker, 8 June 2022
  • Averting a 'tragedy of the commons' Low Mackey says that’s not the goal anyway.
    — National Geographic, 16 Jan. 2020
  • Their approach isn't uniform but has one theme in common: caution.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 10 May 2020
  • That night, 13 fireworks were fired off from the city's commons.
    — Caroline Simon, USA TODAY, 3 July 2018
  • But there's one thing all these all have in common: Buying them in brine will make a world of difference.
    — Julia Black, Bon Appetit, 29 Aug. 2017
  • The play and the website share a lot in common: Everyone is very angry and sick and everyone is horny on main.
    — Constance Grady, Vox, 30 June 2018
  • But communism is the only thing which says all things should be brought into the hands of commons to benefit all people.
    — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, 15 July 2018
  • Some of them think the world should formally establish the Arctic Ocean as a commons.
    — Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 23 July 2019
  • To achieve this look and use, the architects will open a portion of the ground ceiling to the second floor, creating a spacious commons area.
    — Special To The Oregonian, OregonLive.com, 26 Dec. 2017
  • There will be a mandatory coat check by staff in the commons area, and students are only allowed to access things from the coat check once throughout the dance.
    — Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2017
  • The building will have more private office space, a large commons area for studying and hanging out, and a new main entrance.
    — Andrea K. McDaniels, baltimoresun.com, 21 July 2017
  • What some of these parasomnias have in common is an overlapping, or a mismatch, of dream and waking states.
    — Linda Rodriguez McRobbie, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Mar. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'common.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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