shantytown

[ shan-tee-toun ]

noun
  1. a section, as of a city or town characterized by shanties and crudely built houses.

  2. a whole town or city that is chiefly made up of shantylike houses.

Origin of shantytown

1
First recorded in 1880–85; shanty1 + town

Words Nearby shantytown

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use shantytown in a sentence

  • In shantytown, the titular slum of Buenos Aires is the backdrop for a series of killings that threaten the entire community.

  • From a distance, the area looks like a colorful tent and cardboard shantytown.

    Stimulus Dollars for Sex Offenders? | Gerald Posner | September 4, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • He acted like the goats you see up in shantytown, an' looked a good deal like Skip Jellison in the face.

    Teddy and Carrots | James Otis
  • He got back in his car and peeled across the road to the shantytown and the guesthouse.

    Makers | Cory Doctorow
  • Suzanne walked them through the shantytown, watching their reactions closely.

    Makers | Cory Doctorow
  • They got in the car and drove across the road to the shantytown.

    Makers | Cory Doctorow
  • They made it in the shantytown and fortified it with fruits, like a Belgian beer.

    Makers | Cory Doctorow

British Dictionary definitions for shantytown

shantytown

/ (ˈʃæntɪˌtaʊn) /


noun
  1. a town or section of a town or city inhabited by very poor people living in shanties, esp in a developing country

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012