Meaning & use
semidetached
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparableBritish
Describing a house that shares a wall with one other house, with the other side standing free.
Grammar: Used before a noun, e.g. 'a semidetached house'. Not usually used with 'very' or in comparisons.
Patterns
- a semidetached house
- semidetached property
They live in a small semidetached house on the edge of town.
Semidetached homes are common in British suburbs.
The semidetached property next door is for sale.
nouncountableBritishinformal
A house that shares a wall with one other house.
Grammar: In British English, people often say 'a semidetached' as a noun, meaning a semidetached house.
Patterns
- a semidetached
- live in a semidetached
They bought a semidetached in a quiet neighborhood.
Most of the street consists of semidetacheds.
Common combinations
- semidetached house
- A semidetached house is often cheaper than a detached one.
- semidetached property
- The semidetached property has a shared driveway.
- live in a semidetached
- They live in a semidetached near the park.
Synonyms and how they differ
- duplex
- In American English, 'duplex' often means a similar house, but it can also mean an apartment on two floors; 'semidetached' is the usual British term for a house joined to one other.
- townhouse
- A townhouse is usually part of a row of several houses, not just two, and is often taller and narrower.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: semidetached or detached?
semidetached vs detached
A detached house stands alone with no shared walls, while a semidetached house shares one wall with a neighbor.
Practice
In Britain, a house that shares one wall with the house next to it is called a ______ house.
Choose one answer.
Semidetached means joined to one other house. Detached means standing alone, terraced means part of a row, and a bungalow is a one-story house.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “semidetached”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.