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 of apartment

• penthouse
• lodgings
• condominium
• suite
• flat
• tenement
• condo

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

Residents said the gunman barricaded himself inside a third-floor apartment and remained there for hours as police urged him to come outside. — Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026

Just two days later, on July 8, 2025, several brush fires were ignited near his apartment complex — collectively dubbed the Copper River/Meenach Fires by investigators. — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026

Regional authorities later said falling debris had injured one person, damaged two private houses, and blew out a window in an apartment block. — ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026

The 360 can fold up and easily roll into an elevator, your apartment, or your office – making city commutes a whole lot easier. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 9 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French appartement, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Italian appartamento, borrowed from Spanish apartamiento "withdrawal, remote spot, residence," from apartar "to separate, take aside" (reflexive, "to withdraw") (derivative of aparte "aside, apart entry 1") + -miento -ment

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

Rhymes for apartment

• compartment
• departement
• department

Kids Definition

apartment

noun

apart·​ment ə-ˈpärt-mənt 

1

: a room or set of rooms used as a dwelling

2

: apartment building