Dictionary.com

shantytown

[ shan-tee-toun ]
/ ˈʃæn tiˌtaʊn /
Save This Word!

noun

a section, as of a city or town characterized by shanties and crudely built houses.
a whole town or city that is chiefly made up of shantylike houses.

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
The Sunflower State
The Evergreen State
The Magnolia State
The Mockingbird State
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of shantytown

First recorded in 1880–85; shanty1 + town

Words nearby shantytown

shantey, shanti, Shantou, Shantung, shanty, shantytown, Shanxi, Shaoxing, Shaoyang, shape, shaped
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for shantytown

British Dictionary definitions for shantytown

shantytown
/ (ˈʃæntɪˌtaʊn) /

noun

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
Tired of Typos? Get Help Now!