tower block

[ tou-er ]

noun

, Chiefly British.

1. a high-rise building.

Word History and Origins

Origin of tower block¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

I have to climb my tower block by stairs, my refrigerator has turned off, I cannot take online classes, cannot study, no water, no electricity and no gas at home.

From Time

Each year, China builds about 15 million new homes—over five times those in America and Europe combined—yet a quarter of the current stock already lies empty, with forests of unoccupied tower blocks ringing many second and third-tier cities.

From Time

Today, a 12-story tower block stands directly atop its point of impact.

From Washington Post

Elsewhere, a railway on stilts circles a group of multicolored tower blocks.

From MIT Technology Review

Related Words

• apartment block
• apartment complex
• apartment house
• apartments
• flats
• multi-dwelling unit
• tenement