Meaning & use
triplex
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A building that contains three separate homes or apartments.
Grammar: Countable; often used in real estate.
Patterns
- live in a triplex
- buy a triplex
- a triplex apartment
They bought a triplex and rent out the other two units.
The new triplex on our street has three identical front doors.
A triplex is like a duplex but with three units instead of two.
nouncountable
An apartment or house spread over three floors, with internal stairs connecting them.
Grammar: Countable; often used in British English for a three-level home.
Patterns
- a triplex apartment
- live in a triplex
Their triplex has a kitchen on the ground floor and bedrooms above.
She prefers a triplex because each level has a different function.
The triplex features a rooftop terrace and a basement office.
Word forms
| plural | triplexes |
|---|
Common combinations
- a triplex apartment
- They live in a triplex apartment with a private entrance.
- build a triplex
- The developer plans to build a triplex on the empty lot.
- rent a triplex
- We decided to rent a triplex near the university.
- three-unit triplex
- The three-unit triplex was fully occupied.
Synonyms and how they differ
- three-flat
- Regional (especially Chicago); a building with three apartments, one per floor.
- triplex apartment
- A more specific phrase for the three-level unit itself, not the whole building.
Word family
- duplex noun
- A building or apartment with two units or two levels.
Commonly confused: triplex or duplex? triplex or complex?
triplex vs duplex
A duplex has two units or levels; a triplex has three.
triplex vs complex
A complex is a group of buildings or a difficult whole; a triplex is specifically a three-unit building.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'triplex' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A triplex has three units or levels. Two units would be a duplex; four would not be a triplex.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “triplex”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.