town house: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B2Neutral to formal. Common in property listings, architectural descriptions, and everyday conversation about housing.
Quick answer
What does “town house” mean?
A house built as one of a terrace or row of identical houses in a town or city, sharing side walls with its neighbours. Also refers to an elegant, modern urban residence.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A house built as one of a terrace or row of identical houses in a town or city, sharing side walls with its neighbours. Also refers to an elegant, modern urban residence.
1. A dwelling in an urban setting that is one of several attached units, often over multiple floors. 2. A modern, stylish, often expensive house in a city, especially a new-build property. 3. Historically, a city residence of a wealthy person or family who also owned a country estate.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
UK: Primarily refers to a terraced house, often (but not exclusively) Georgian or Victorian. US: Typically refers to a stylish, multi-story attached or semi-detached house, often newly built, connoting luxury and urban living. The British usage is more strongly tied to the architectural form of terraced housing.
Connotations
UK: Can connote historical charm or, in some contexts, a degree of uniformity. US: Strongly connotes affluent, convenient, and fashionable city living.
Frequency
High frequency in both dialects, but more central to UK vocabulary for describing a common housing type. In the US, it's a specific real estate term.
Grammar
How to Use “town house” in a Sentence
They live in a + ADJ + town house in + LOCATION.The + ADJ + town house + VERB (features/boasts/sells for).Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “town house” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- []
American English
- []
adverb
British English
- []
American English
- []
adjective
British English
- []
American English
- []
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Frequent in real estate listings, development proposals, and property investment discussions.
Academic
Used in architectural history, urban planning, and sociology texts discussing housing typologies.
Everyday
Common in conversations about where people live, house hunting, and describing neighbourhoods.
Technical
A specific classification in architecture, planning regulations, and property valuation.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “town house”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “town house”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “town house”
- Using 'town house' to mean any house located in a town. (e.g., *'They have a nice town house' when referring to a detached suburban home.)
- Confusing it with 'terraced house' in the UK (they are largely synonymous, but 'town house' can sound more upmarket).
- Spelling it as one word ('townhouse' is a common variant, but 'town house' is the standard dictionary form).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Both 'town house' and 'townhouse' are used. Dictionaries often list it as two words, but the one-word variant is very common, especially in commercial contexts like real estate.
A town house is typically a multi-story dwelling that shares one or two walls with neighbours but has its own private entrance directly to the street. An apartment is a single unit within a larger building, with a shared entrance and common areas.
Virtually always. The classic definition involves multiple stories (often three or four), which distinguishes it from single-story attached homes.
No, by definition a town house is attached to one or more neighbouring houses. If it's detached, it's simply a detached house, not a town house.
A house built as one of a terrace or row of identical houses in a town or city, sharing side walls with its neighbours. Also refers to an elegant, modern urban residence.
Town house is usually neutral to formal. common in property listings, architectural descriptions, and everyday conversation about housing. in register.
Town house: in British English it is pronounced /ˌtaʊn ˈhaʊs/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌtaʊn ˈhaʊs/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think 'TOWN' for the location and 'HOUSE' for the building type. It's specifically a house designed for a town/city, not a detached house in the countryside.
Conceptual Metaphor
A town house is a CONTAINER for urban life; a VERTICAL STACK of living spaces (vs. a horizontal spread).
Practice
Quiz
In which context would the term 'town house' LEAST likely be used?