tenement
Americannoun
-
Also called tenement house. a run-down and often overcrowded apartment house, especially in a poor section of a large city.
-
Law.
-
any species of permanent property, as lands, houses, rents, an office, or a franchise, that may be held of another.
-
tenements, freehold interests in things immovable considered as subjects of property.
-
-
British. an apartment or room rented by a tenant.
-
Archaic. any abode or habitation.
noun
-
Also called: tenement building. (now esp in Scotland) a large building divided into separate flats
-
a dwelling place or residence, esp one intended for rent
-
a room or flat for rent
-
property law any form of permanent property, such as land, dwellings, offices, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tenement
1250–1300; Middle English < Medieval Latin tenēmentum, equivalent to Latin tenē ( re ) to hold + -mentum -ment
Explanation
A tenement is a run-down apartment building. The tenements in Old New York were barely safe enough to live in — fire hazards, no air circulation, and no bathrooms, either. When different immigrant groups first came to the United States in the 1800s, they didn't have much money and would often end up living in close quarters with many people in a small apartment, or tenement. These buildings were notorious for catching fire and collapsing. In 1901, New York City passed a law that said all tenement apartments had to have running water — ah, indoor plumbing! — and required that each room have a window.
Vocabulary lists containing tenement
Freak the Mighty
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary from history writings about the Triangle Factory Fire
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
The boys’ father started his life in a Lower East Side tenement before apprenticing as a lawyer.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
“We lived a teeny tenement apartment on 29th and 2nd Avenue above the Wonderland Blues Bar,” Brooks says.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2025
Scenes switch effortlessly from Prague, with its shadowy bridge looming over the Moldau, to a Brooklyn tenement, a busy office, a tony art gallery, and the roof of the Empire State Building.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 23, 2025
Mr Gibson said he opened the door to the tenement hallway, at which point smoke came billowing into the flat.
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2025
Old women gossiped and laughed as they sat on project benches or by tenement stoops, where they once played as children with no backyards—yes, they were happy too.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
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.
