condominium

American  

[kon-duh-min-ee-uhm] / ˌkɒn dəˈmɪn i əm /

noun

• condominiums
  plural

1. an apartment house, office building, or other multiple-unit complex, the units of which are individually owned, each owner receiving a recordable deed to the individual unit purchased, including the right to sell, mortgage, etc., that unit and sharing in joint ownership of any common grounds, passageways, etc.

2. a unit in such a building.

3. International Law.

   1. joint sovereignty over a territory by several states.

   2. the territory itself.

4. joint or concurrent dominion.

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condominium British  

/ ˌkɒndəˈmɪnɪəm /

noun

1. joint rule or sovereignty

2. a country ruled by two or more foreign powers

3. Sometimes shortened to: condo. Compare cooperative

   1. an apartment building in which each apartment is individually wholly owned and the common areas are jointly owned

   2. the title under which an apartment in such a building is owned

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• mini-condominium
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• condominiums
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of condominium

1705–15; < New Latin. See con-, dominium

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Explanation

A condominium is a building made up of privately owned apartments. Your grandparents might decide to move into a condominium in Florida. A condominium is split into units, which can be apartments, floors of houses, or even entire houses — each of these units is also a condominium. Rather than renting from a landlord, the way you do with an apartment, each occupant owns his or her individual condominium, and they all contribute money each month for maintenance and upkeep. The Modern Latin meaning of condominium is "joint rule or sovereignty," combining com-, "together," and dominum, "right of ownership."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

condominium condominiums

Some condominium HOAs have run into trouble recently, as MarketWatch has reported, in part due to skyrocketing insurance costs and dwindling financial reserves.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

Hotels from major international chains and condominium buildings loom over the city.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Indeed, condominium prices have been cooling in L.A. , but people continue to prefer to rent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Their down payment of $120,000 came from the proceeds of the sale of their Danvers condominium unit.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

“She and her greedy uncle want the Riverview property for a luxury condominium complex.”

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

He visited the Oklahoma town where he owns a vacation lodge and a Utah community with a golf resort, where he later bought four condominiums.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

Kevin, a tenant who also works in property sales for Forest City, believes scammers are still operating in "condominiums or serviced apartments" in the complex.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Mahan also wants to reform a law, Senate Bill 800, which he says makes it too risky for developers to build condominiums that serve as entry into home ownership, and provide more down payment assistance.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

A nearby homeless encampment pushed the condominiums to their breaking point.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

Fizz gets off, and I go on to my creaky building in the midst of a congregation of old condominiums, neither retro cool nor demolition ready—yet.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

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Related Words

• apartment
• co-op
• condo
• townhouse

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