apartment

American  

[uh-pahrt-muhnt] / əˈpɑrt mənt /

noun

1. a room or a group of related rooms, among similar sets in one building, designed for use as a dwelling.

2. a building containing or made up of such rooms.

3. any separated room or group of rooms in a house or other dwelling.

   We heard cries from an apartment at the back of the house.

4. British. apartments, a set of rooms used as a dwelling by one person or one family.

---

apartment British  

/ əˈpɑːtmənt /

noun

1. (often plural) any room in a building, usually one of several forming a suite, esp one that is spacious and well furnished and used as living accommodation, offices, etc

2. 1. another name (esp US and Canadian) for flat 2

   2. ( as modifier )

      apartment building

      apartment house

---

Other Word Forms

• apartmental adjective

Etymology

Origin of apartment

1635–45; < French appartement < Italian appartamento, equivalent to apparta ( re ) to separate, divide (verbal derivative of a parte apart, to one side) + -mento -ment

Example Sentences

I was an angsty 14-year-old, sprawled on the white shag carpet of my parents’ Upper East Side apartment, mesmerized by a photo taken by Horst Fass in a place called Vietnam.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Every other week for the next two years, Close visited Wooden at his apartment for a chat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

At America’s 20-largest low-wage employers, median wages won’t get you a used car or a two-bedroom apartment.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

Border Patrol agents from an elite unit rappelled from a hovering Black Hawk helicopter onto the roof of a 130-unit apartment complex.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

He was in the middle of the apartment.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

Related Words

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