tenement
noun
ten·e·ment
ˈte-nə-mənt 
1
2
: any of various forms of corporeal property (such as land) or incorporeal property that is held by one person from another
3
: dwelling
Examples of tenement in a Sentence
an exhibit of pictures showing the tenements of the New York City neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen during the 1920s
Recent Examples on the Web
Hamas massacre, the tenements in the West End were turned into rubble by the politicians and developers.
—
Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 20 Feb. 2025
Three young men with resplendent Afros pose by a Spanish Harlem tenement that has been adorned with a vibrant street mural.
—Arthur Lubow, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
But in 1901, a progressive government passed laws that set minimum size requirements for tenements and required adequate lighting, ventilation and indoor bathrooms.
—Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2025
Many readers addressed their fan letters not to the author, Betty Smith, but to her main character, Francie Nolan, a dirt-poor tenement child with big dreams.
—Perri Klass, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tenement
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Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 20 Feb. 2025
Three young men with resplendent Afros pose by a Spanish Harlem tenement that has been adorned with a vibrant street mural.
—Arthur Lubow, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
But in 1901, a progressive government passed laws that set minimum size requirements for tenements and required adequate lighting, ventilation and indoor bathrooms.
—Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2025
Many readers addressed their fan letters not to the author, Betty Smith, but to her main character, Francie Nolan, a dirt-poor tenement child with big dreams.
—Perri Klass, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tenement
Cite this Entry
“Tenement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenement. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tenement
noun
ten·e·ment
ˈten-ə-mənt
1
2
: dwelling
Legal Definition
tenement
noun
ten·e·ment
ˈte-nə-mənt
1
a
: any of various forms of property (as land) that is held by one person from another
b
: an estate in property
2
: dwelling
Etymology
Anglo-French, from Old French, from Medieval Latin tenementum, from Latin tenēre to hold
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