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

The offering funds Alphabet’s $180 billion to $190 billion AI capital expenditures, with conversion to common stock in three years.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

For those familiar with options, the mandatory convertible amounts to common stock plus the sale of a call spread.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

The company also plans to utilize an at-the-market program to sell up to $2 billion of its common stock into the market starting the third quarter of 2026.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

Investors gain a high-dividend alternative but face downside risk as the preferred stock lacks protection if common stock drops.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

There remains as a residue a common deposit of moral truth, a common stock of moral judgments, which we may call the common conscience.

From Recollections and Impressions 1822-1890 by Frothingham, Octavius Brooks

Related Words

• common shares
• ordinary shares