common room

American  

noun

1. a room or lounge for informal use by all.

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common room British  

noun

1. a sitting room in schools, colleges, etc, for the relaxation of students or staff

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Etymology

Origin of common room

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

On the evening of Jan. 15, 26 undergrads gathered for dinner in a common room at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to debate the fairness of college admissions post-affirmative action.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

Door duty puts Ventura’s name toward the top of the list for work — other volunteers, who agree to clean the common room or parking lot, also get top-of-list privileges.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 8, 2024

Seated adjacent to the facility’s dingy common room, we became, in the playwright’s own staging, fellow residents.

From New York Times • Dec. 4, 2023

In a common room, Roberta Walker, a 47-year-old mother of seven, wept, yelled and calmed, as if a sudden storm had swept through her.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2023

The noise of the storm was even louder in the common room.

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling