: commonly found or seen : ordinary, unremarkable
a commonplace occurrence
the large mergers that had become commonplace
Computers are commonplace in classrooms.
commonplaceness
noun
com·mon·place
ˈkä-mən-ˌplās 
Synonyms
Examples of commonplace in a Sentence
Adjective
Drug use has become commonplace at rock concerts.
He photographed commonplace objects like lamps and bowls.
Noun
It is a commonplace that we only use a small part of our brain's capacity.
We now accept cell phones and laptop computers as commonplaces of everyday life.
Recent Examples on the Web
Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Meta said its agreements and relationships with Netflix are commonplace in a statement to Gizmodo.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
This arrangement is commonplace in traditional financial services and products, and digital asset ETF issuers should look to replicate these institutional-grade standards.
—Sebastian Widmann, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
While monthslong strikes may be commonplace in some other European countries like Spain, Belgium or France, where workers’ protests are something of a national pastime, Germany has long prided itself on nondisruptive collective bargaining.
—Erika Solomon, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
But historians say that long before Photoshop, Instagram filters and iPhone editing, when the public had somewhat different expectations about authenticity from public figures and when media outlets had different standards, heavy retouching of royal and other society portraits was commonplace.
—Karla Adam, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
For residents in the northern part of the state, wind chill warnings and winter weather advisories are commonplace.
—Eshaan Sarup, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024
Some of its soldiers engage in crimes and abuses that may be commonplace in wartime, but whose public exposure understandably erodes international support.
—Andrew Exum, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2024
Ukrainian officials say intimidation tactics like that are commonplace and are aimed at forcing people to give their vote to Putin.
—Andrew Carey, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024
Sacred books are far from commonplace in ancient religions.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023
It’s become a commonplace in business to say the pace of change is faster than ever.
—Alan Murray, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2024
Affordable and durable but polished to a luxurious sheen, the compound has become a commonplace of modern architecture, found everywhere from subway stairwells to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
—Zoey Poll, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023
From the commonplace to the world changing, such examples of synchronicity are often dismissed as coincidence.
—Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2023
But a book that spent less of its time reprising our era’s commonplaces would have made better use of ours.
—Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2023
Walking with her is a slow and deliberate act in which commonplace fixtures become daunting obstacles: a curb is to be navigated with care; a short flight of steps has to be accounted for with additional travel time.
—Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2023
The pandemic has made videoconferencing commonplace, and many people remain wary of large gatherings.
—Adam Liptak, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2023
Adjective
Lab Results Lab results are commonplace in the CBD industry, often as an update every few months.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Meta said its agreements and relationships with Netflix are commonplace in a statement to Gizmodo.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
This arrangement is commonplace in traditional financial services and products, and digital asset ETF issuers should look to replicate these institutional-grade standards.
—Sebastian Widmann, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
While monthslong strikes may be commonplace in some other European countries like Spain, Belgium or France, where workers’ protests are something of a national pastime, Germany has long prided itself on nondisruptive collective bargaining.
—Erika Solomon, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
But historians say that long before Photoshop, Instagram filters and iPhone editing, when the public had somewhat different expectations about authenticity from public figures and when media outlets had different standards, heavy retouching of royal and other society portraits was commonplace.
—Karla Adam, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
For residents in the northern part of the state, wind chill warnings and winter weather advisories are commonplace.
—Eshaan Sarup, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024
Some of its soldiers engage in crimes and abuses that may be commonplace in wartime, but whose public exposure understandably erodes international support.
—Andrew Exum, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2024
Ukrainian officials say intimidation tactics like that are commonplace and are aimed at forcing people to give their vote to Putin.
—Andrew Carey, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024
Noun
Mullins depicts the commonplace in a manner that allows reveries to sometimes seep in.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024
Sacred books are far from commonplace in ancient religions.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023
It’s become a commonplace in business to say the pace of change is faster than ever.
—Alan Murray, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2024
Affordable and durable but polished to a luxurious sheen, the compound has become a commonplace of modern architecture, found everywhere from subway stairwells to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
—Zoey Poll, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023
From the commonplace to the world changing, such examples of synchronicity are often dismissed as coincidence.
—Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2023
But a book that spent less of its time reprising our era’s commonplaces would have made better use of ours.
—Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2023
Walking with her is a slow and deliberate act in which commonplace fixtures become daunting obstacles: a curb is to be navigated with care; a short flight of steps has to be accounted for with additional travel time.
—Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2023
The pandemic has made videoconferencing commonplace, and many people remain wary of large gatherings.
—Adam Liptak, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commonplace.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near commonplace
Cite this Entry
“Commonplace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commonplace. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
commonplace
1 of 2 noun
com·mon·place
ˈkäm-ən-ˌplās
: something that is often seen, heard, or met with
commonplace
2 of 2 adjective
: very common or ordinary
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