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apartment

apartment

1.0
A set of rooms on one floor for one person or family in a building
  • noun
  • /əˈpɑrtmənt/
  • US
translation icon : apartamento
  • I got myself a little apartment in Hollywood.
  • an apartment building
  • rent an apartment
  • live in an apartment

I have not stepped foot outside of this apartment or two full days.

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Examples

  • She just moved into a cozy apartment with two bedrooms.

  • Jim and Susan Brown moved into an apartment under terms of a one-year lease.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Get us into a nice apartment and then start over.

  • I still keep an apartment there.

  • I live in an apartment by myself with four cats.

  • I'm about to show you my new apartment, OK?

  • And then we moved to an apartment with Greg.

  • I locked myself out of my apartment.

  • When he opened the door of his apartment, he found all of his suitcases packed.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Bill and Mary Jones moved into an apartment under terms of a one-year lease.

    Academic text (1991)

Synonyms

condo
vsapartment
  • Informal
207 3.0

An apartment that a person owns inside a building with shared areas

is neutral about ownership rather than emphasizing private ownership
studio
vsapartment
136 3.2

A small apartment with one main room and a separate bathroom

is the broader multiroom residence not a single open room
flat
vsapartment
  • UK
122 1.0

A set of rooms for one family or person in a building

is the general label for such a residence within a building
penthouse
vsapartment
118 3.9

A large, expensive apartment on the top floor of a building with great views

is usually located on ordinary floors not the top luxury levels
dwelling
vsapartment
65 2.9

A house or apartment where someone lives

is a specific separate residence within a building rather than any living place
pad
vsapartment
  • Informal
61 7.4

A casual word for a home often meaning a small apartment

is the standard formal term for a permanent separate residence
condominium
vsapartment
  • US
41 4.5

An apartment you own in a building where people share common areas

is a general residence term that does not specify ownership
duplex
vsapartment
  • US
16 3.5

A building divided into two separate homes, often one above the other

is a single separate residence within a larger building not split
studio apartment
vsapartment
13 2.8

A small home with one main room for living, sleeping, and cooking and a separate bathroom

is a multiroom residence rather than a single open living room
apt
vsapartment
  • US
6 7.0

An informal short form of apartment used in addresses

is the full formal label rather than the short informal form
walk-up apartment
vsapartment
1 3.9

A home in a building with no elevator that you reach by stairs

is not defined by elevator absence and may have elevator access
duplex apartment
vsapartment
  • US
1 3.4

An apartment with rooms on two floors connected by an inside staircase

is typically on a single floor rather than across two levels
maisonette
vsapartment
  • UK
1 7.6

A small flat or house with its own private entrance, often in a larger building

is usually inside a larger building without a separate private entrance
flatlet
vsapartment
  • UK
7.2

A very small place to live with one or two rooms for one person

is generally larger and not limited to one or two small rooms
maisonnette
vsapartment
  • UK
9.2

A small home on two floors with its own entrance often inside a larger building

is typically on one floor rather than spread across two levels

Compounds

98 1.2

A large building with many separate homes where people live

A small home with one main room for living, sleeping, and cooking and a separate bathroom

10 2.0

A building with many separate homes where different people live

A small furnished apartment with one main room, a small kitchen area, and a separate bathroom

1 3.4

An apartment with rooms on two floors connected by an inside staircase

A home in a building with no elevator that you reach by stairs

7.7

A small cramped apartment often poorly built and uncomfortable

How Big

penthouse
118 3.9
apartment
  • US
1.0
duplex
  • US
16 3.5
studio
136 3.2

Surface Forms

apartment singular
apartments plural

Morphology

apartment = apart (semi-transparent) = apart + ment

Formed from 'apart' + '-ment' so the idea of separateness is clear, but learners will not automatically infer the specific meaning 'a set of rooms/residence'.

Etymology

Apartment comes from the idea of being apart or a part, meaning a space set 'apart' from the rest of a building. So an apartment is a separate set of rooms where a person lives.