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.

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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

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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

Ahead of the Lyon rally, some residents living near the march's planned route had barricaded the ground floor windows of their apartments, fearing unrest.

From Barron's

Epstein was frequently in France in the 15 years before his death, owning a vast apartment near the Arc de Triomphe.

From The Wall Street Journal

Police found Greene, 60, dead in his apartment Dec. 12.

From Los Angeles Times

Accommodation can become simply a way for a client to buy convenience—such as the ability to keep an otherwise prohibited pet in an apartment or to get more time on tests.

From The Wall Street Journal

Inside the Chudo-Gorod apartment complex -- which means "Wonder City" in Russian, the city's historic language -- the hum of generators fills the courtyard between three towering grey buildings.

From Barron's

Related Words

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