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.

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of shantytown¹

First recorded in 1880–85; shanty ¹ + town

Example Sentences

This contributed to the creation of shantytowns surrounding urban centers in Tehran and other cities.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Some 50,000 people are expected in Belem, which is home to 1.4 million residents, more than half of whom live in shantytowns.

Read more on Barron's

A Bad Bunny fan visiting the U.S. territory where the hip-hop star has been performing has been fatally shot at La Perla, a seaside shantytown, authorities say.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

As a result, many of them settled in shantytowns on the city’s outskirts, living in makeshift sheet-metal homes.

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The government of Haiti says police have launched a large-scale operation in a shantytown controlled by powerful gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, who is widely known as Barbecue.

Read more on BBC