IN COMMON

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does in common mean? 

• IN COMMON (adverb)
  The adverb IN COMMON has 2 senses:

1. of joint or shared interest

2. in joint use or possession

  Familiarity information: IN COMMON used as an adverb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• IN COMMON (adverb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of joint or shared interest

Context example:

when an audience is responding to a play they are identifying what they have in common with the human beings on stage

Sense 2

Meaning:

In joint use or possession

Context example:

property held in common

 Context examples 

There is something in common between these hands.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It was true, as he acquired knowledge and language, that he was drawing nearer, talking her speech, discovering ideas and delights in common; but this did not satisfy his lover's yearning.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

They had been unable to decide whether they would keep together and have the things in common, or whether they would separate.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

"Simply that there is some cause in common. Whatever it was that injured her has injured them."

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

What time Miss Mills sat looking at the moon, murmuring verses—and recalling, I suppose, the ancient days when she and earth had anything in common.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Rats are a useful model as their biology and physiology have a number of important characteristics in common with those of humans.

(Placenta changes could mean male offspring of older mums more likely to develop heart problems in later life, University of Cambridge)

The bacteria used in this research, Cyanothece, is able to fix nitrogen because of something it has in common with people.

(Bacteria Used to Create Fertilizer Out of Thin Air, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Cell line established from a rat pheochromocytoma; has many properties in common with primary sympathetic neurons and chromaffin cell cultures; used primarily as a neuron model.

(PC-12, NIH CRISP Thesaurus)

It was a nut to crack for many, what these two could see in each other, or what subject they could find in common.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

It is group of organisms that although differing quite a bit among themselves still have a large degree of characteristics in common.

(Order, NCI Thesaurus)