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

“We wanted to see what would happen when people had the chance to connect with people directly — would they choose to argue and fight, or would they choose to find common ground?”

From Los Angeles Times

During the storm, Natalie hadn’t been able to imagine the two of them ever finding common ground enough to go on being friends.

From Literature

A chatbot collected opinions on hot-button political topics from people in the U.K. and aggregated users’ responses into a group statement that emphasized common ground.

From The Wall Street Journal

On this issue, he found common ground with Fuentes, who has frequently appeared as a guest on his program.

From Salon

In recent weeks, he has hosted roundtables with members of the business community to discuss ways to cut through the red tape of building affordable housing and to find common ground on child care.

From The Wall Street Journal