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

Alone in his apartment, Ross lit incense and watched the livestream on YouTube. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 18 May 2026

According to police, the suspects allegedly stole multiple vehicles throughout the spree and fired shots at apartment complexes, homes, pedestrians and two fire stations. —Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026

The biggest issue in the Democratic primary was the Atlantic Yards project, a multibillion-dollar real-estate-development plan that sought to put a basketball arena and thousands of new apartments in downtown Brooklyn. —Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 18 May 2026

Over much of the past two decades in China, units that easily go beyond 1,000 square feet in the towering apartment blocks of exclusive districts sold out fast. —Chris Lau, CNN Money, 18 May 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