common ground

American  

noun

1. a foundation of common interest or comprehension, as in a social relationship or a discussion.

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common ground British  

noun

1. an agreed basis, accepted by both or all parties, for identifying issues in an argument

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common ground Idioms  

1. Shared beliefs or interests, a foundation for mutual understanding. For example, The European Union is struggling to find common ground for establishing a single currency. [1920s]

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Etymology

Origin of common ground

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

common ground

That being said, we found a lot of common ground talking to people around Britain; reasonable folks dispirited by the problems they observe, but ready to navigate their way through them constructively.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

“There’s this common ground here,” said Nemiah Guimbatan, 30, a first-time attendee from California.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

It seemed like a minor victory for our civic fabric that Gerber could disagree with the president so fundamentally yet find common ground over footwear.

From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026

While there’s plenty of room for disagreement over immigration policy, conspiracy theories make it much harder to find common ground or craft political compromises.

From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026

Maybe these were two women who lived far enough off the beaten path that there was some strange common ground between them.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool