Meaning & use
semi-detached house
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Meaning
nouncountableBritish
A house joined to one other house on one side by a shared wall, but with open space on its other sides.
Grammar: Countable: a semi-detached house, three semi-detached houses.
Patterns
- live in a semi-detached house
They bought a semi-detached house with a long back garden.
Our neighbors share a wall because we live in a semi-detached house.
The street has terraced and semi-detached houses.
Word forms
| plural | semi-detached houses |
|---|
Common combinations
- a three-bedroom semi-detached house
- They are selling a three-bedroom semi-detached house.
- live in a semi-detached house
- Many families live in a semi-detached house in the suburbs.
- buy a semi-detached house
- We hope to buy a semi-detached house next year.
- modern semi-detached house
- A modern semi-detached house costs less than a detached one.
Synonyms and how they differ
- semi
- Semi is the informal British shortening of the same thing.
- duplex
- Duplex is the American term, but can also mean two floors, so it is less precise.
- twin house
- Twin house is used in some English-speaking countries, but it is less common in Britain.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: semi-detached house or detached house?
semi-detached house vs detached house
A detached house stands alone with no shared walls, whereas a semi-detached house shares one wall.
Practice
A house that shares one wall with its neighbor and stands free on the other sides is called a ___.
Choose one answer.
Semi-detached means joined on one side only. Terraced houses are in a row and a detached house is fully separate.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “semi-detached house”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.