common stock

American  

noun

1. stock that ordinarily has no preference in the matter of dividends or assets and represents the residual ownership of a corporate business.

2. Animal Husbandry. stock that is not purebred.

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common stock British  

noun

1. the US name for ordinary shares

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Etymology

Origin of common stock

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

common stock

The company said the amendment would provide the capacity to issue common stock “in connection with strategic transactions, including its proposed acquisition of eBay.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

Strategy said plans to buy back $1 billion worth of Digital Credit Securities, which refers to its preferred stocks, and to repurchase $1 billion of common stock.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

Strategy said Monday it would repurchase as much as $1 billion of its preferred shares and up to $1 billion of its Class A common stock.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

The company disclosed Monday that it had used proceeds from common stock sales to purchase Bitcoin and pad its cash reserves in the preceding week.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

For schools and colleges—admirable contrivances as they are for keeping up among mankind a common method and a common stock of information—are but suited, as they were but designed, for the common run of men.

From Homes of American Statesmen With Anecdotical, Personal, and Descriptive Sketches by Various

Related Words

• common shares
• ordinary shares