From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcommon lawˌcommon ˈlaw noun [uncountable] SCLthe system of laws that has developed from customs and the decisions of judges rather than from laws made by Parliament → statute law
Examples from the Corpus
common law• Teachers may sue if they believe state common law has been violated.common-lawˈcommon-law adjective [only before noun] 1 → common-law marriage/husband/wife2 according to or related to common lawcommon-law rules/courts/rights etcFrom Longman Business Dictionarycommon lawˌcommon ˈlaw [uncountable]LAW law that has been developed from common customs and the decisions of judges rather than being decided by an act of Parliament or an act of CongressJudges may have to develop a common law right to privacy, providing guidance for media regulators. → law 