commons

¹

/ ˈkɒmənz /

noun

1. (functioning as plural) people not of noble birth viewed as forming a political order

2. (functioning as plural) the lower classes as contrasted to the ruling classes of society; the commonalty

3. (functioning as singular) a building or hall for dining, recreation, etc, usually attached to a college

4. (usually functioning as plural) food or rations (esp in the phrase short commons )

Commons

²

/ ˈkɒmənz /

noun

1. See House of Commons

Example Sentences

The Free Table began as a kind of informal commons, a collision point of surplus and need.

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I’d like the city to think big on behalf of the greater good — the commons, as it used to be called — instead of the individual.

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Speaking in the commons on Tuesday, Defence Secretary John Healey said the person involved in the leak was "no longer doing the same job", and offered a "sincere apology" on behalf of the government.

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Back when every English village had a commons where everyone could graze their sheep, they noticed some farmers tended to increase their herds.

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This means defending the university not as a corporate entity or site of theocratic indoctrination but as a democratic commons.

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