Meaning & use
common denominator
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Meanings
nouncountablefigurative
A feature or characteristic shared by different people or things.
Grammar: Used with a singular article and often with of: the common denominator of the group.
Patterns
- the common denominator among things
- the common denominator of something
Hard work was the common denominator among all the successful students.
The only common denominator in the crimes was the time of night.
Friendliness is a common denominator of the best teachers.
nouncountablemathematics
In mathematics, a number that is a multiple of the denominators of two or more fractions, allowing them to be added or compared.
Grammar: The least common denominator is the smallest such number.
Patterns
- find a common denominator
To add one half and one third, find a common denominator of six.
The fractions share a common denominator, so we can add the tops.
Teachers show children how to convert to a common denominator.
Word forms
| plural | common denominators |
|---|
Common combinations
- lowest common denominator
- The show aims at the lowest common denominator.
- find a common denominator
- We need to find a common denominator before adding fractions.
- common denominator among
- The common denominator among the winners was practice.
- the only common denominator
- Coffee was the only common denominator in their routines.
- least common denominator
- Use the least common denominator to simplify the sum.
Synonyms and how they differ
- common thread
- Common thread suggests a theme running through a series of events, while common denominator suggests a shared base trait.
- shared trait
- Shared trait is plain and literal, while common denominator is an idiom borrowed from math.
- link
- Link is more general and does not imply that the quality is shared by many things.
- constant
- Constant describes something that does not change, not something shared across items.
Opposites
Word family
- denominator noun
- the bottom number of a fraction
- numerator noun
- the top number of a fraction
- common adjective
- shared by many
- denominate verb
- to give a name or value
Commonly confused: common denominator or common multiple? common denominator or lowest common denominator?
common denominator vs common multiple
A common multiple is a number that is a multiple of two or more numbers; a common denominator is that idea applied to fractions.
common denominator vs lowest common denominator
In everyday use this phrase suggests the least refined level that appeals to everyone, which is often disparaging.
Practice
Which sentence uses common denominator in its figurative meaning?
Choose one answer.
The second sentence uses it for a shared characteristic. The first uses the mathematical sense, and the others are about parts of a fraction.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “common denominator”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.