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

Cruz fled to her apartment located on W. 118th St. just a few doors down from the deli before her arrest later that night, sources said. —Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2025

She's bound to squeeze every last drop from these collagen-supporting solutions, whether in a hotel bathroom or while standing in front of the vintage vanity in her apartment. —Annie Blackman, Allure, 24 Jan. 2025

The suspect starts running and heads into a gated area of the apartment complex. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Jan. 2025

Potter said when her apartment complex was sold to a new owner, the rents went up and the new landlord attempted to get tenants to leave. —Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2025

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