slum

1 of 2

noun

ˈsləm 

plural slums

: a densely populated usually urban area marked especially by poverty

slum

2 of 2

verb

slummed; slumming; slums

intransitive verb

: to visit slums especially out of curiosity

broadly : to go somewhere or do something that might be considered beneath one's station

—sometimes used with it

slumming it in budget hotels

slummer noun

Examples of slum in a Sentence

Noun

He grew up in the slums of New York.

Verb

He sometimes likes to go slumming in bars around the city.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The endeavor — which involved bulldozing local slums and replacing them with apartments for poor families — is the brainchild of Anne Guinness and Lady Adelaide Guinness (Ann Skelly), the siblings’ first cousin and Edward’s future wife. —Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025

Now reporters and dissidents are squeezed into slums and dependent on food donations, says Ou, a youth ambassador for the Khmer Movement for Democracy (KMD) and a freedom fellow with the Human Rights Foundation. —Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Verb

New York’s cinephiles will no longer have to slum it at AMC or Regal. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 23 July 2025

Some will doubtless feel this career detour is slumming. —James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1825, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1884, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for slum

• bum
• chum
• come
• crum
• cum
• drum
• dum
• dumb
• from
• frum
• glum
• gum

Kids Definition

slum

1 of 2 noun

ˈsləm 

: a thickly populated section especially of a city marked by crowding, dirty run-down housing, and generally poor living conditions

slum

2 of 2 verb

slummed; slumming

: to visit slums especially out of curiosity

slummer noun