apartment

noun

apart·​ment ə-ˈpärt-mənt 

plural apartments

1

: a room or set of rooms fitted especially with housekeeping facilities and usually leased as a dwelling

2

: a building containing several individual apartments

3

British : a large and impressive room or set of rooms

—usually plural

Assured that the Queen and Prince Philip had retired to bed, Mr Hillyard tried to pass through the Royal apartments as the train left Aberdeen on its journey to London.

—Jonathan Petre

apartmental

ə-ˌpärt-ˈmen-tᵊl 

adjective

Synonyms

• diggings [chiefly British]
• digs
• flat [chiefly British]
• lodgings
• suite
• tenement

Examples of apartment in a Sentence

We lived in an apartment for several years before buying a house.

a spacious six-room apartment that occupies the entire upper floor of a two-family house

Recent Examples on the Web

Hils said the officers responded to an apartment, knocked on the door and repeatedly identified themselves. —Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 26 Dec. 2024

Officers responded to an apartment near Central and Sunland avenues around 8 p.m. Tuesday night to serve an order of protection. —Hannah Dreyfus, The Arizona Republic, 25 Dec. 2024

The first target, the 23-year-old man, who had pleaded guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl, was believed to usually leave the apartment building around 7 or 7:30 a.m. —Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 25 Dec. 2024

According to the studio, this actually has a practical purpose and helps ensure each apartment is bathed in daylight. —Adam Williams, New Atlas, 25 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French appartement, from Italian appartamento

First Known Use

circa 1645, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing apartment

• apartment building
• apartment hotel
• duplex apartment
• efficiency apartment
• garden apartment
• in-law apartment
• mother-in-law apartment
• studio apartment

Kids Definition

apartment

noun

apart·​ment ə-ˈpärt-mənt 

1

: a room or set of rooms used as a dwelling

2

: apartment building