shantytown
noun
a section, as of a city or town characterized by shanties and crudely built houses.
shantytowns
-
pluralof shantytown.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This contributed to the creation of shantytowns surrounding urban centers in Tehran and other cities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 16, 2025
Some 50,000 people are expected in Belem, which is home to 1.4 million residents, more than half of whom live in shantytowns.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2025
As archbishop of Buenos Aires, he rode the city bus and celebrated Mass in shantytowns, and had a harsh view of unfettered free markets that he was quick to express.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2023
While Kenya's security forces have experience battling the al-Shabab Islamist militant group, and policing slum settlements, they will be on alien ground in Port-au-Prince's harbourside and hillside shantytowns.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2023
Those who stood the best chance of contracting TB, which was usually spread by the infected person coughing or sneezing, lived in crowded peasant huts, urban slums, shantytowns, prisons, or homeless shelters.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
