commoner
noun
com·mon·er
ˈkä-mə-nər 
1
a
: one of the common people
b
: one who is not of noble rank
2
: a student (as at Oxford) who pays for his own board
Synonyms
Examples of commoner in a Sentence
a prince who married a commoner
Recent Examples on the Web
Countless examples from the past emphasize how kings and commoners provided for the Buddha and later monks and nuns by giving land, food and donations.
—
Mitch Hendrickson, The Conversation, 29 July 2024
Europe’s competitive and war-prone multistate system drove rulers to extract ever more taxes from their populations and to expand the role of commoners in the military.
—Andreas Wimmer, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2019
Archers were commoners, requiring a tenth of the pay of noble knights, and their equipment—arrows, bows, swords—was far cheaper to provide than knights’ armor and horses.
—Jacquelyn Schneider, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2023
And finally, there’s a moment earlier in the season when Aegon is hearing petitions from the commoners in the throne room for the first time.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See all Example Sentences for commoner 
Mitch Hendrickson, The Conversation, 29 July 2024
Europe’s competitive and war-prone multistate system drove rulers to extract ever more taxes from their populations and to expand the role of commoners in the military.
—Andreas Wimmer, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2019
Archers were commoners, requiring a tenth of the pay of noble knights, and their equipment—arrows, bows, swords—was far cheaper to provide than knights’ armor and horses.
—Jacquelyn Schneider, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2023
And finally, there’s a moment earlier in the season when Aegon is hearing petitions from the commoners in the throne room for the first time.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See all Example Sentences for commoner
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commoner.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near commoner
Cite this Entry
“Commoner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commoner. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
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commoner
noun
com·mon·er
ˈkäm-ə-nər
: one of the common people : a person who is not of noble rank
Biographical Definition
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