Meaning & use
common ground
Last updated
Meaning
phraseuncountable
Shared beliefs, interests, or points of agreement that give different people a basis for understanding each other.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun phrase: you find common ground, not a common ground.
Patterns
- find common ground
- share common ground
- establish common ground
- common ground between someone and someone
The two sides finally found common ground on climate policy.
We may disagree on details, but we share common ground on the need for change.
The negotiator tried to establish common ground between the union and management.
Common combinations
- find common ground
- It took hours, but they found common ground.
- share common ground
- Do we share any common ground with them?
- establish common ground
- The first step is to establish common ground.
- common ground between
- There is little common ground between the two proposals.
- a basis of common ground
- Trust provides a basis of common ground.
Synonyms and how they differ
- agreement
- Agreement is a state of having the same opinion; common ground is the shared area itself, often found before full agreement.
- consensus
- Consensus means general agreement by a group; common ground can exist between just two people and does not require everyone to agree.
Opposites
Commonly confused: common ground or common ground?
common ground vs common ground
Not to be confused with 'common land', which is land shared by a community.
Practice
The mediator hoped to ______ common ground between the two sides.
Choose one answer.
The usual verb is 'find common ground'. 'Make common ground' is not natural English, and 'do' or 'take' do not collocate with this phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “common ground”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.