town house

or townhouse

noun

1. a house in the city, especially as distinguished from a house in the country owned by the same person.
2. a luxurious house in a large city, occupied entirely by one family.
3. one of a row of houses joined by common sidewalls.

town house

noun

1. a terraced house in an urban area, esp a fashionable one, often having the main living room on the first floor with an integral garage on the ground floor
2. a person's town residence as distinct from his country residence
3. another name (now chiefly Scot) for town hall
4. Also calledrow housechiefly Britterraced house a house that is part of a terrace

Word History and Origins

Origin of town house¹

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

The mid-day sun felt summer hot, and there was little movement despite a dense line of town houses that were either glaring white or oddly dark; the effect was like a mouth with missing teeth.

From Salon

Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration watched the handoffs at Parkwest Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, an office complex in Downey and a town house in Temple City.

From Los Angeles Times

“Shortly,” Mother assured her as the limo parked in front of a three-story redbrick town house.

From Literature

A Seattle criminal defense attorney retained by McNeal called 911 to report a “likely homicide” from outside a town house in the 4600 block of South Orchard Street just before 4 p.m.

From Seattle Times

Sheela Damle, one of Greco’s clients, said she and her husband opted for a cautious rehab of their Ballard town house, mostly to deal with a decade of wear and tear.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• city center
• courthouse