I. adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a common aim (= an aim that people, countries etc share )
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We know the value of working closely together to pursue our common aims.
a common ancestor (= the same ancestor )
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Lions and house cats evolved from a common ancestor .
a common bond (= one that people share )
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They shared a common bond – a love of literature.
a common border (= that countries share )
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India and Pakistan each withdrew troops from their common border.
a common cause of sth
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Alcohol is the most common cause of road accidents.
a common characteristic (= that people or things share )
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Successful firms tend to have common characteristics.
a common concern (= one that many people share )
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Rising food prices are a common concern.
a common condition
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Depression is a very common condition.
a common culture (= one that societies or people share )
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Britain and America are united by a common culture.
a common enemy (= one shared by groups of people )
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We must work together against the common enemy.
a common error
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a common error which students often make when writing essays
a common expression
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'Pig out' is a common expression meaning 'to eat a lot'.
a common feature
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Pine trees are a common feature of the Swedish landscape.
a common goal (= an aim shared by more than one person or organization )
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Iran and Turkey shared common goals in their handling of the refugee crisis.
a common language (= a language that more than one person or group speaks, so that they can understand each other )
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Most of the countries of South America share a common language: Spanish.
a common mistake
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A common mistake is to imagine that dogs think like humans.
a common objective (= one that people, countries etc share )
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Our employees have a sense of common objectives and their commitment is high.
a common origin (= a place or situation in which different things all started to exist )
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It may be that all life on Earth has a common origin.
a common phenomenon
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Cloudy water is a common phenomenon in new aquariums.
a common purpose (= one that people share )
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We were bound together by a common purpose.
a common sense approach
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We need a common sense approach to caring for the environment.
a common sense view
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Ross took the common sense view that it would be better to stay at home.
a common symptom
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By far the most common symptom of caffeine withdrawal is headache.
a common theme
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Death and rebirth is a common theme in Eliot’s poetry.
a common/an everyday event
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The death of a child was a common event in those days.
a common/familiar dilemma (= one that a lot of people have )
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Deciding whether to put an elderly parent in a nursing home is a common dilemma.
a common/general/widespread assumption
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There’s a common assumption that science is more difficult than other subjects.
a common/popular myth (= that many people believe )
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Contrary to popular myth, most road accidents are not the result of speeding.
a common/popular/widespread belief (= that a lot of people believe )
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There is a common belief that educational standards are declining.
a common/rare disorder
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Acne is a very common skin disorder.
a common/widespread/frequent complaint
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A common complaint of children is that parents do not listen to them.
a core/common curriculum (= the subjects that everyone must study because they are considered very important )
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There has been a lot of debate on the content of the core curriculum.
a lack of common sense
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Leaving the child alone in the car showed a lack of common sense.
a matter of common sense (= something that requires no more than common sense )
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Not driving too fast is just a matter of common sense.
a popular/common stereotype
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Current evidence indicates that older people are more healthy than popular stereotypes suggest.
an ounce of common sense (= a very small amount )
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Anyone with an ounce of common sense would have realised that was a silly thing to do.
be based on common sense
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The job doesn't require much training because it's based on common sense.
common cold
common courtesy
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It’s a matter of common courtesy to acknowledge letters.
common currency
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Words like ‘spliff’ and ‘blunt’ have become common currency.
common denominator
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The common denominator of both types of novel is the vulnerable threatened heroine.
common gossip (= gossip that everyone knows about )
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Rumours about her affairs had become common gossip.
common ground (= they do not share the same attitudes etc )
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Often parents and teenagers find they have little common ground .
common land
common law (= laws that have come from customs and the decisions of judges )
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In common law, if a house is rented out, it is expected that the house is safe to live in.
common law
common noun
common people
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Rice formed the staple food of the common people .
common room
common sense dictates sth
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Common sense dictates that you should avoid too much sun.
common sense dictates sth (= tells you something very clearly )
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Common sense dictates that you should avoid handling wild animals.
common sense prevails (= is strong enough to make you do the sensible thing )
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Eventually common sense prevailed and they reached an agreement.
common sense prevails/reason prevails (= a sensible decision is made )
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He considered lying, but then common sense prevailed.
common sense suggests sth
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People don't always do what common sense suggests.
common sense tells you/me etc sth
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Common sense tells me that I should get more sleep.
common thread
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a common thread running within his work
common
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common childhood diseases
common
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These plants are common in British gardens.
common
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Here you will see most of the common species of African wildlife.
common/human/public decency (= standards of behaviour that are expected of everyone )
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The film was banned on the grounds of public decency.
common/shared humanity
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We must never forget our common humanity.
defy common sense (= not be sensible )
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The proposed change in the law defies common sense.
frequent/rare/common occurrence
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Laughter was a rare occurrence in his classroom.
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Flooding in the area is a common occurrence.
have common sense
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Some people are brilliant thinkers, but they have no common sense.
House of Commons
lowest common denominator
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Television quiz shows often seem to target the lowest common denominator.
popular/common misconception
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There is a popular misconception that too much exercise is bad for you.
show common sense
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His attitude shows no common sense at all.
simple/plain/basic/sheer common sense (= very obviously sensible )
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Locking your doors at night is simple common sense.
sound common sense (= sensible and reliable )
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These ideas contained much sound common sense.
the common cold formal
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There are hundreds of viruses that cause the common cold.
use your common sense
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If something goes wrong, just use your common sense.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
as common as muck
be common/standard/normal practice
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It is normal practice for the definitive sale and purchase agreement to be drafted by the acquirer's solicitors.
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It is normal practice for the heads to specify that each party will be responsible for the costs of its own advisers.
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It is normal practice for the purchaser to order a survey for two reasons.
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It is normal practice for the vendor to disclose various documents to the purchaser as part of the disclosure exercise.
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Motorcycles would be kept out by barriers at each end - this is normal practice for cycle/pedestrian paths.
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The first is the wide variation in specification and finish that are standard practice in the motor industry.
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This is standard practice , but such an event is unlikely.
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Whatever the circumstances, it is standard practice in embryo transfer to introduce several embryos at a time.
have/make common cause (with/against sb)
in common parlance
next biggest/most common etc
the Common Market
the Commons
the House of Commons
the common/general good
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He was the mandatory of his people, the trustee of the general good .
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Surely that is to the general good .
the lowest common denominator
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They produce trashy TV programs that appeal to the lowest common denominator.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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A common reason for not hiring someone is their lack of writing skills.
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Dating agencies try to match people with similar personalities and common interests.
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Flatheads are a common type of fish and good to eat.
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Foxes are common in the area.
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Foxes are very common around here.
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It's a common mathematical error.
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It's becoming more and more common for women to keep their family name when they marry.
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It's very common for older children to feel jealous after the birth of a baby.
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Jones is a very common name in Britain.
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Luckily we all had a common language, English, which meant we could communicate with each other.
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Malaria is particularly common near swamps where mosquitoes can breed.
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Many of the more common forms of cancer can be treated successfully if detected early.
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Monkeys and apes are so similar that it is reasonable to say they have a common ancestor.
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My daughter says politics is boring, which is a common attitude among teenagers.
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Olson is a very common last name in Minnesota.
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Personal computers are nearly as common in American homes as televisions.
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Petty theft and pickpocketing are becoming increasingly common in the city centre.
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Students and faculty are working toward a common goal.
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The Allies worked to defeat a common enemy.
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The condition is most common among women aged 18 to 24.
II. noun
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
as common as muck
have/make common cause (with/against sb)
in common parlance
next biggest/most common etc
the Common Market
the Commons
the House of Commons
the common/general good
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He was the mandatory of his people, the trustee of the general good .
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Surely that is to the general good .
the lowest common denominator
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They produce trashy TV programs that appeal to the lowest common denominator.