penthouse

American  

[pent-hous] / ˈpɛntˌhaʊs /

noun

plural

penthouses

1. an apartment or dwelling on the roof of a building, usually set back from the outer walls.

2. any specially designed apartment on an upper floor, especially the top floor, of a building.

3. a structure on a roof for housing elevator machinery, a water tank, etc.

4. Also called pentice.  Also called pent.  a shed with a sloping roof, or a sloping roof, projecting from a wall or the side of a building, as to shelter a door.

5. any rooflike shelter or overhanging part.

6. shed roof.

7. Court Tennis. a corridor having a slanted roof and projecting from three walls of the court.

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penthouse British  

/ ˈpɛntˌhaʊs /

noun

1. a flat or maisonette built onto the top floor or roof of a block of flats

2. a construction on the roof of a building, esp one used to house machinery

3. a shed built against a building, esp one that has a sloping roof

4. real tennis the roofed corridor that runs along three sides of the court

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Other Word Forms

• penthouselike adjective

Etymology

Origin of penthouse

First recorded in 1520–30; alteration (by folk etymology) of Middle English pentis, from Old French apentiz, equivalent to apent, past participle of apendre “to hang against” + -iz ( French -is ), from unattested Vulgar Latin -ātīcium, noun use of neuter of unattested -ātīcius, equivalent to Latin -āt(us) past participle suffix + -īcius adjective suffix; appendant, -ate ¹

Explanation

A penthouse is fancy apartment on the very highest floor of a tall building. The penthouse can be a status symbol. Just ask the characters from The Jeffersons — they moved on up to a “deluxe apartment in the sky.” While you can use the word penthouse for any top floor apartment, it usually implies something luxurious. A penthouse is often the fanciest and most expensive apartment in the building. Sometimes a penthouse even has its own private elevator. The first penthouses appeared in the 1920s, some taking up entire top floors, though the word has been in use much longer. Originally, it meant "simple structure," from the Old French apentis, "attached building."

Example Sentences

As part of their divorce agreement, the duo split other properties in their portfolio, including a sprawling penthouse apartment on Eleventh Avenue, which they bought for $21.12 million in 2022.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

“Some are free to choose between penthouse suites, while others are free to choose in which gutter to lay their heads.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

Just before dawn on Nov. 13, 2024, FBI agents smashed through the door of Shayne Coplan’s penthouse apartment in Manhattan, barged into his bedroom and grabbed his phone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

NEW YORK—The penthouse atop the Metropolitan Tower on West 57th Street offers proximity to Central Park and has two bedrooms.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026

The wind made an effort, but failed, and a batlike shadow sank toward the roof garden of the penthouse opposite.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

Related Words

• co-op
• condo
• condominium
• cooperative
• flat
• suite