common good

American  

noun

common goods plural

1. the advantage or benefit of all people in society or in a group.

   In spite of our differences, we shall work for the common good.

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common good British  

noun

1. the part of the property of a Scottish burgh, in the form of land or funds, that is at the disposal of the community

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• common goods
  plural

Etymology

Origin of common good

First recorded in 1350–1400

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

common good

We demonstrated that a team built on good people — supportive people, people who hold values and principles that prioritize the common good over individual interests.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Third, independent auditors to measure these systems not by efficiency or profit alone, but by whether they protect human dignity and serve the common good.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Dame Sarah said the Pope's message "reminded us that despite our sufferings, people long for life in all its fullness and countless people are working each day for this vision of the common good".

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026

But his morality is not guided by ethics, humanism or respect for the common good.

From Salon ● Mar. 10, 2026

Every cell of your body is a kind of commune, with once free-living parts all banded together for the common good.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan