(functioning as plural) people not of noble birth viewed as forming a political order
(functioning as plural) the lower classes as contrasted to the ruling classes of society; the commonalty
(functioning as singular) a building or hall for dining, recreation, etc, usually attached to a college
(usually functioning as plural) food or rations (esp in the phrase short commons )
A commons is a piece of land that belongs to everyone in a community. The commons in the middle of a village might be a green space that's available for gatherings and celebrations. One way to think of the commons is as public land or space — roadways, town parks, public beaches, and sidewalks could all potentially be defined as part of the commons. Nobody owns the commons, and when some part of it becomes privately owned, it's called privatization. The word commons comes from the Latin root communis, which means both "in common, shared by all, or general," and also "common property."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Leo writes that modern technology has wonderful benefits like the establishment and ease of worldwide interconnections, the formation of global community and solidarity via the digital commons.
From Slate • May 28, 2026
The sum of all this is a tragedy of the education commons.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025
I’d like the city to think big on behalf of the greater good — the commons, as it used to be called — instead of the individual.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025
Speaking in the commons on Tuesday, Defence Secretary John Healey said the person involved in the leak was "no longer doing the same job", and offered a "sincere apology" on behalf of the government.
From BBC • Jul. 16, 2025
While the commons began their walk home, talking of the day's jousts and the matches to come on the morrow, the court moved to the riverside to begin the feast.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
