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; see 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

In the 1990s and 2000s, Turner maintained a top-floor office and penthouse at his media conglomerate’s CNN Center in Atlanta.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Mamdani filmed a video in April outside Griffin's New York penthouse to promote a new tax on luxury properties in the city.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

We don’t know specifically which unit they picked, but they had an option of a variety of spaces, including a loft or penthouse.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

Donald J. Trump in his gilded penthouse apartment at Trump Tower in New York.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

We went up to the penthouse suite, no questions asked.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Related Words

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