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

See Examples For:

common room

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

Every airport guest — regardless of whether they identified as cis-male, cis-female or anything else — could just pop into the large common room, do their business, wash their hands and be on their way.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2023

“Overindulged over Christmas, apparently,” said Hermione, rolling her eyes as she led the way into the packed common room.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling