plural slums
: a densely populated usually urban area marked especially by poverty
slummed; slumming; slums
: 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
Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 16 May 2024
Hardest hit were urban slums, where people are densely packed into informal housing lacking proper infrastructure, drainage, adequate food, or clean water access.
—Kennedy Odede, Fortune, 15 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for slum 
Noun
The show would have explored life in the titular slum of King's Landing.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 16 May 2024
Hardest hit were urban slums, where people are densely packed into informal housing lacking proper infrastructure, drainage, adequate food, or clean water access.
—Kennedy Odede, Fortune, 15 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for slum
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near slum
Cite this Entry
“Slum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slum. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
slum
1 of 2 noun
: 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
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