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Synonyms

pied-à-terre

American  
[pee-ey-duh-tair, -dah-, pyey-] / piˌeɪ dəˈtɛər, -dɑ-, ˌpyeɪ- /

noun

plural

pieds-à-terre

  1. a residence, as an apartment, for part-time or temporary use.

pied-à-terre British  
/ ˌpjeɪtɑːˈtɛə /

noun

  1. a flat, house, or other lodging for secondary or occasional use

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pied-à-terre

1820–30; < French: literally, foot on ground

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For all his flashy possessions—a storied Bel-Air estate known as Casa Encantada, a Malibu beach house, a New York pied-à-terre and an enviable art collection—he was severely strapped for cash and deeply in debt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Projection designers Yee Eun Nam and Elizabeth Barrett create a kaleidoscopic background on Chika Shimizu’s pied-à-terre set.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2025

The hunt: They wanted a pied-à-terre in Manhattan.

From New York Times • Aug. 6, 2022

He also has ties to U.S. interests, including a multimillion-dollar pied-à-terre in New York City and a $5 million house in Weston, Conn.

From Washington Post • Apr. 4, 2022

I keep on my quarters in town," continues your hostess, "principally as a pied-à-terre.

From Notable Women Authors of the Day Biographical Sketches by Black, Helen C.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.