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

Etymology

Origin of condominium

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

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

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

In 1984, they bought a 4,000-square-foot Greenwich condominium in a 7-unit Victorian property in town.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

Recently, a large alligator took up residence in a pond within our condominium community.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

He lives in a high-rise condominium on the beach in Florida.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

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

As a real estate mogul, Trump has long invested in hotels, condominiums and golf courses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

The tax would target homes, co-ops and condominiums that are valued above $5 million when the owner’s primary residence is elsewhere.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 27, 2026

And in front of me are the condominiums.

From "Hurricane Child" by Kheryn Callender

Related Words

• apartment
• co-op
• condo
• townhouse