Meanings
commons1
- pluralplural of common
- pluralsingularusuallyA public area, especially a dining hall, at a college or university; a similar shared space elsewhere.
- pluralsingularusuallyA common (common land); especially, a central section of (usually an older) town, designated as a shared area.
The commons of New England towns are important contributors to their charm.
2 more examples
The Renaissance festival started with the "peasants" meeting in the commons.
The commons is the green space surrounded by the village hall, the school, and the church.
- figurativelypluralsingularThe mutual good of all; the abstract concept of resources shared by more than one, for example air, water, information.
"The tragedy of the commons" is that none wish to make sacrifices of their or their family's interests for the common good.
Synonyms: res communis
- pluralsingularThe common people collectively, the third estate, the people not belonging to the nobility or clergy.
We in the name of other Perſean ſtates [i.e. nobles], And commons of this mightie Monarchy, Preſent thee with the Emperiall Diadem.
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene iSynonyms: commoners
- historicalpluralsingularThe free burghers/bourgeoisie of a given town, taken collectively.
- euphemisticobsoletepluralsingularAn outhouse.
Synonyms: common house, House of Commons, backhouse, backside, bog, boggard, boghouse, carsey
- UKobsoletepluralsingularOxford UniversityFood served at a fixed rate from the college buttery, distinguished from battels.
At the same time, the fashion at Oxford of confining lunch to a "commons" of bread and butter and a glass of beer till the crew reaches Putney (when a little meat is allowed,) is unreasonable.
1875, Walter Bradford Woodgate, "Oars and Sculls," and How to Use Them (page 125) - pluralsingularFood in general; rations.
short commons
1 more example
Without eggs, cocoa-nuts, or plantains, we had very short commons, and the boisterous weather being unpropitious for fishing, we had to live on what few eatable birds we could shoot, with an occasional cuscus, or eastern opossum, the only quadruped, except pigs, inhabiting the island.
1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., page 357
- indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of common
Commons2
- CanadianUKgovernmentThe House of Commons, part of the parliament under the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy.
Faced with defeat in the Commons, the Government cancelled and re-advertised the contract, the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company's offer being now accepted for the sea part of the route.
1960 May 28, K. A. Murray, “Carlisle Pier, Dun Laoghaire”, in Railway Magazine, page 305
Commons3
- A surname.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe mutual good of all; the abstract concept of resources shared by more than one, for example air, water, information.
nounThe common people collectively, the third estate, the people not belonging to the nobility or clergy.
nounAn outhouse.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna piece of open land for recreational use in an urban area
nouna class composed of persons lacking clerical or noble rank
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Commons · proper noun
* English and Irish (Mayo Tipperary and Galway): variant of Cummings. * English: variant of Common with post-medieval excrescent -s.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian мегдан, стъгда
- мегдан (megdan)a central section of an older town
- стъгда (stăgda)a central section of an older town
- общото благо (obštoto blago)the mutual good of all
Danish fælled, almenvelle
- fælleda central section of an older town
- almenvellethe mutual good of all
- fælles bedstethe mutual good of all
Dutch volksplaats, gemene
- volksplaatsa central section of an older town
- gemenethe mutual good of all
- algemeen goedthe mutual good of all
- gemeengoedthe mutual good of all
Esperanto komunejo
- komunejothe mutual good of all
German Allmende, Allmende
- Allmendea central section of an older town
- Allmendethe mutual good of all
Italian bene comune
- bene comunethe mutual good of all
Portuguese rossio
- rossioa central section of an older town
Spanish ejido, campillo
- ejidoa central section of an older town
- campilloa central section of an older town
- faceríaa central section of an older town
- procomúnthe mutual good of all
- procomunalthe mutual good of all
Cite this entry
commons. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/commons
“commons.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/commons. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “commons,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/commons.
Source: commons on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.