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

Meanwhile, the national median rent was $1,388 per month as of July 2026, according to a separate report from apartment search platform Apartment List. — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

The footage also showed federal agents were by the apartment front door and Neal was at a significant distance when the shooting occurred, according to Wharton. — Juliana Kim, NPR, 23 Aug. 2026

Worker’s cottages, bungalows, three- and six-flats, and courtyard apartments have been largely constructed of brick. — Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026

The victim had only lived at his current home, a two-story brick and wood house with multiple apartments, for a couple of months, Herjinder Singh said. — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 23 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