common knowledge


Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to common knowledge: general knowledge

common knowledge

n
something widely or generally known
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.common knowledge - anything generally known to everyone
general knowledge, public knowledge - knowledge that is available to anyone
ancient history - knowledge of some recent fact or event that has become so commonly known that it has lost its original pertinence
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
أمْرٌ مَعْروف، مَفْهوم عام
věc všeobecně známá
köztudomású
almenn vitneskja, á allra vitorîi
všeobecne známa vec
bilinen gerçek

common

(ˈkomən) adjective
1. seen or happening often; quite normal or usual. a common occurrence; These birds are not so common nowadays.
2. belonging equally to, or shared by, more than one. This knowledge is common to all of us; We share a common language.
3. publicly owned. common property.
4. coarse or impolite. She uses some very common expressions.
5. of ordinary, not high, social rank. the common people.
6. of a noun, not beginning with a capital letter (except at the beginning of a sentence). The house is empty.
noun
(a piece of) public land for everyone to use, with few or no buildings. the village common.
ˈcommoner noun
a person who is not of high rank. The royal princess married a commoner.
common knowledge
something known to everyone or to most people. Surely you know that already – it's common knowledge.
common ˈlaw noun
a system of unwritten laws based on old customs and on judges' earlier decisions.
ˈcommon-law adjective
referring to a relationship between two people who are not officially married, but have the same rights as husband and wife. a common-law marriage; a common-law wife/husband.
ˈcommonplace adjective
very ordinary and uninteresting. commonplace remarks.
ˈcommon-room noun
in a college, school etc a sitting-room for the use of a group.
common sense
practical good sense. If he has any common sense he'll change jobs.
the Common Market
(formerly) an association of certain European countries to establish free trade (without duty, tariffs etc) among them, now replaced by the European Union.
the (House of) Commons
the lower house of the British parliament.
in common
(of interests, attitudes, characteristics etc) shared or alike. They have nothing in common – I don't know why they're getting married.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
It is matter of common knowledge, my Barbara, that the poor man ranks lower than a rag, and will never earn the respect of any one.
Troubles enough lay ahead of her--the loss of friends and of social advantages, the agony, the supreme agony, of motherhood, which is even yet not a matter of common knowledge. For the present let the moon shine brightly and the breezes of the spring blow gently, dying away from the gale of the day, and let the earth, who brings increase, bring peace.
"These things," Passmore continued, "are common knowledge. I have spoken up to now of nothing which is not known to the world.
We may be assured by past experience, that such a practice would be introduced by future contrivances; and both by that and a common knowledge of human affairs, that it would nourish unceasing animosities, and not improbably terminate in serious interruptions of the public tranquillity.
For it was common knowledge that Big Alec was as willing to bribe as to fight, and that of late years more than one patrolman had handled the fisherman's money.
For the moment, under the lamp-post, they seemed to be aware of some common knowledge which did away with the possibility of rivalry, and made them feel more sympathy for each other than for any one else in the world.
It is now common knowledge the promoters might have ventured upon the Albert Hall and still found their space too scanty.
They help define template contracts to save transaction costs, propagate best practices in a corporate economy, and serve as common knowledge rules of the game.
I as honored to be contacted by Wintergreen (a traditional midwife from New Zealand) of Common Knowledge Trust in New Zealand regarding this incredible kit containing a book, video, and audiocassette.
The "Common Knowledge" Threshold is Inconsistent with Congressional Intent.
Instead of everyone having his or her own opinion about a topic or competitor, based on different microbits of information, the company is creating a common knowledge base.
She points out that Bayesian rationality - that is, maximizing expected payoff according to one's beliefs - and even common knowledge of Bayesian rationality among the players, are too weak to assure a Nash equilibrium.