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Meaning & use

tower blocks

noun·EverydayBritish

Last updated

UK/ˈtaʊə blɒks/
US/ˈtaʊər blɑːks/

“tower blocks” is a form of “tower block”.

Meanings

  1. nounpluralBritish

    Tall apartment buildings with many floors, especially ones built by a city or government.

    Grammar: The singular is 'tower block'; use the plural when talking about more than one building.

    Patterns

    • a tower block
    • live in a tower block
    • a block of tower blocks

    The family moved into a tower block on the edge of the city.

    Several tower blocks were renovated after the storm damaged their roofs.

    From the park you can see a row of gray tower blocks against the sky.

  2. nounsingularBritish

    A single tall residential building of this type.

    Grammar: Use the singular form when you mean one building; the plural is 'tower blocks'.

    Patterns

    • a tower block
    • in a tower block
    • the tower block on the corner

    She lives in a tower block near the station.

    A new tower block is being built where the old market used to stand.

Word forms

singulartower block

Common combinations

a high-rise tower block
They complained about the noise from the high-rise tower blocks nearby.
live in a tower block
Many students live in a tower block close to the university.
a block of tower blocks
The council plans to repair a whole block of tower blocks this year.
a tower block estate
The tower block estate has a small shop and a playground.

Synonyms and how they differ

high-rise
A more neutral word used in both American and British English for any very tall building, not only apartments.
apartment building
The general American term; it can be any height, so it is less specific than 'tower block'.
housing project
An American term for government-built housing, often low-rise as well as high-rise.

Opposites

bungalowlow-rise

Word family

tower noun
A tall narrow building or part of a building.
block noun
A large building divided into separate units or apartments.

Commonly confused: tower blocks or block of flats? tower blocks or skyscraper?

tower blocks vs block of flats

A British term for an apartment building of any size; a tower block is specifically a very tall one.

tower blocks vs skyscraper

A skyscraper is usually an office or commercial building, while a tower block is mainly for housing.

Practice

Which sentence uses the plural form correctly?

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