apartment

[ uh-pahrt-muhnt ]

noun

1. a room or a group of related rooms, among similar sets in one building, designed for use as a dwelling.
2. a building containing or made up of such rooms.
3. any separated room or group of rooms in a house or other dwelling:

   We heard cries from an apartment at the back of the house.

4. apartments, British. a set of rooms used as a dwelling by one person or one family.

apartment

/ əˈpɑːtmənt /

noun

1. often plural any room in a building, usually one of several forming a suite, esp one that is spacious and well furnished and used as living accommodation, offices, etc
2. 1. another name (esp US and Canadian) for flat 2
   2. ( as modifier )

      apartment house

      apartment building

Other Words From

• a·part·men·tal [uh, -pahrt-, men, -tl], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of apartment¹

1635–45; < French appartement < Italian appartamento, equivalent to apparta ( re ) to separate, divide (verbal derivative of a parte apart, to one side) + -mento -ment

Word History and Origins

Origin of apartment¹

C17: from French appartement, from Italian appartamento, from appartare to set on one side, separate

Example Sentences

A person was found dead early Thursday when firefighters were called to put out a tree fire behind an apartment building in South Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

He had claimed two men targeted him in a hate-crime, yelling racial slurs and putting a noose around his neck while he was walking down the street near his apartment.

From BBC

He spoke of his mother as aloof and unloving and preferred the company of his “noble father,” who worked as a railroad station master and housed the family in an apartment above the Tulln station.

From New York Times

She knew how critical rent-controlled apartments were for working people, how her modest-sized unit helped her make a life in Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

The trial, which began on Friday, included testimony from more than a dozen law enforcement officers, Ms Riley's former roommate and a woman who lived in the same apartment as Ibarra.

From BBC

Related Words

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