VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

semi-detached

adjective, noun·EverydayBritish

Last updated

UK/ˌsemi dɪˈtætʃt/
US/ˌsemi dɪˈtætʃt/

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a nounBritish

    Describing a house that is joined to another house on one side by a shared wall but separate on the others.

    Grammar: Usually before the noun: a semi-detached house; also used alone as a noun: they bought a semi.

    Patterns

    • a semi-detached house
    • semi-detached with something

    They live in a semi-detached house on a quiet street.

    Our semi-detached home shares a wall with the neighbours.

    The semi-detached properties all have long back gardens.

  2. nouncountableBritishinformal

    A house that shares one wall with the house next to it; often shortened to semi in informal British speech.

    Grammar: Used as a noun in property talk: a three-bed semi-detached.

    Patterns

    • buy a semi-detached
    • live in a semi-detached

    They bought a semi-detached in a quiet suburb.

    A semi-detached is usually cheaper than a detached.

    The street is full of 1930s semi-detacheds.

Word forms

noun pluralsemi-detacheds

Common combinations

semi-detached house
A semi-detached house is cheaper than a detached one.
semi-detached property
The semi-detached property comes with a garage.
three-bedroom semi-detached
They bought a three-bedroom semi-detached near the school.
Victorian semi-detached
A Victorian semi-detached stood at the corner.
pair of semi-detached houses
The builder erected a pair of semi-detached houses.

Synonyms and how they differ

semi
Semi is the short informal British form and sounds casual in estate-agent talk.
duplex
Duplex is American and may mean two flats in one building, while semi-detached means two houses sharing one wall.
twin house
Twin house is used in some countries for the same kind of home, but is rare in British English.

Opposites

detachedterraced

Word family

detached adjective
standing alone with no shared walls
terraced adjective
joined to others in a row
semi noun
short form of semi-detached house
detach verb
to separate from something

Commonly confused: semi-detached or detached?

semi-detached vs detached

A detached house stands completely alone, whereas semi-detached shares one wall.

Practice

They bought a ___ house that shares one wall with the neighbors.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “semi-detached”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words