# Community of Practice Meaning in English: Examples (2026) > A group of people who share a common interest or work on a similar set of problems and meet regularly (formally or informally) to learn from each other and share best practices. - **Term:** community of practice - **Part of speech:** phrase - **Pronunciation:** /kəˈmjuːnɪti əv ˈpræktɪs/ - **English level (CEFR):** B2 - **Register:** Neutral, Both - **Region:** US and UK - **Topic:** [Meeting phrases](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/topics/meeting-phrases.md) - **Lesson:** https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/community-of-practice - **Last updated:** 2026-10-27 ## Meaning A group of people who share a common interest or work on a similar set of problems and meet regularly (formally or informally) to learn from each other and share best practices. In tech companies, communities of practice are informal groups that form around shared expertise or interests. Unlike formal teams with assigned members and managers, a community of practice is typically voluntary. Members come together because they work with similar technologies, face comparable challenges, or want to develop their skills in a particular area. For example, a frontend community of practice might include developers from different teams who use React, meeting monthly to discuss new patterns, libraries, and solutions. These communities exist across company boundaries and help prevent knowledge silos. They are especially valuable in larger organizations where people working on similar problems might never otherwise connect. Communities of practice often have a designated lead or facilitator but operate with more flexibility than traditional teams. ## When you hear it Our frontend community of practice meets every other Thursday to discuss new React patterns and share lessons learned. ## Examples - **in a team meeting:** "I think we should start a community of practice for backend developers to share database optimization techniques." - **in a Slack message:** "The security community of practice is hosting a workshop next month on OAuth implementation." - **in a company announcement:** "We have established a new community of practice for mobile developers across all our offices." ## What native speakers say - "Join our community of practice for cloud engineers" - "The DevOps community of practice has published new guidelines" - "We're building a community of practice around machine learning" ## Common mistakes - ✗ "Our community of practice is responsible for fixing all frontend bugs." → ✓ "Our community of practice shares knowledge about frontend best practices." (Communities of practice are voluntary knowledge-sharing groups, not responsible for project deliverables like formal teams.) - ✗ "Everyone in the engineering department must join the community of practice." → ✓ "We invite interested engineers to participate in our community of practice." (Communities of practice are voluntary; people join because they want to, not because they are required to.) - ✗ "The community of practice reports to the VP of Engineering." → ✓ "The community of practice is facilitated by volunteers and operates informally." (Communities of practice typically do not have formal hierarchical structures or reporting lines.) ## Be careful Often confused with a team or department. A community of practice is voluntary and cross-organizational, whereas a team is usually formal and within one company. ## Word forms | Part of speech | Word | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | noun | community of practice | The data science community of practice meets monthly. | | noun (plural) | communities of practice | We have established multiple communities of practice across the organization. | | noun (possessive) | community of practice's | The community of practice's goal is to improve code quality. | ## Collocations - **join a community of practice**: used when becoming a member of an existing community - **establish/start a community of practice**: used when creating a new community - **lead/facilitate a community of practice**: used when someone guides or organizes the community - **community of practice members**: referring to people who participate - **community of practice meeting**: a gathering of the community ## Synonyms - **knowledge community**: emphasizes the knowledge-sharing aspect but less commonly used in tech - **interest group**: broader term; less specific to professional practice and learning - **peer group**: informal; focuses on people at similar levels rather than shared practice - **guild**: older, more formal term; rarely used in modern tech contexts ## Opposites - formal team - department - solo work ## Practice This lesson has 4 practice exercises with instant feedback on the page: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/community-of-practice ## FAQ ### What is the difference between a team and a community of practice? A team is typically a formal group with assigned members, clear responsibilities, and project deliverables. A community of practice is an informal, voluntary group united by shared interest or expertise. Team members may work on different projects, while a community of practice focuses on learning and knowledge-sharing within a specific domain. ### How often do communities of practice meet? The frequency varies widely. Some meet weekly, others monthly, and some have ad hoc meetings as needed. The schedule is typically flexible and decided by the members themselves rather than mandated by management. ### Is joining a community of practice part of my job responsibilities? No, communities of practice are voluntary. While companies encourage participation because of the learning benefits, joining and attending is optional. However, many organizations provide time for employees to participate during work hours. ### Who leads a community of practice? Communities of practice are usually led by volunteers or self-appointed facilitators from within the group. There is no formal hierarchy. A lead might organize meetings, set agendas, and facilitate discussions, but decisions are often made collaboratively. ### Can someone from outside the company join a community of practice? This depends on the community and company policy. Some communities of practice are internal only, while others may invite external speakers or allow participation from partner organizations. It is best to ask the community lead. ## Related - [cross-functional](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/cross-functional.md) - Full glossary: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn.md - Live lessons with a coach: https://app.mocklyenglish.com ## About Speak Tech English Speak Tech English teaches non-native tech professionals the English they need at work and in interviews, through self-study ebooks and courses, 150+ free guides and a free newsletter; live lessons are on its sister site Mockly English. - Shop: https://speaktechenglish.com/courses/ - All products (markdown): https://speaktechenglish.com/products.md - Free guides (markdown): https://app.speaktechenglish.com/guides.md - Tech English glossary (markdown): https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn.md - Newsletter (10% off): https://speaktechenglish.com/#subscribe - Live lessons and mock interviews: https://app.mocklyenglish.com ## Notes for agents - Speak Tech English sells self-study material. 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