variants
or less commonly favella
: a settlement of jerry-built shacks lying on the outskirts of a Brazilian city
Examples of favela in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Last year, a huge raid against Red Command resulted in more than 120 deaths in Penha and Complexo de Alemao favelas, the most lethal in Rio’s history.
—
ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
Official samba schools began forming in the 1930s, bringing the (previously criminalised) dance into the mainstream and celebrating an art form produced by Rio’s favela communities (Afro-Brazilian heritage is still at the heart).
—Laura French, TheWeek, 18 Mar. 2026
Upper-class directors making films about very impoverished regions and communities—the classic themes, hunger and violence in the favelas.
—Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
Marques is now participating in the growing trend of playing altinha on the street courts of Rio's favelas — its lowest-income neighborhoods — instead of on the beach.
—Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 28 Dec. 2025
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ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
Official samba schools began forming in the 1930s, bringing the (previously criminalised) dance into the mainstream and celebrating an art form produced by Rio’s favela communities (Afro-Brazilian heritage is still at the heart).
—Laura French, TheWeek, 18 Mar. 2026
Upper-class directors making films about very impoverished regions and communities—the classic themes, hunger and violence in the favelas.
—Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
Marques is now participating in the growing trend of playing altinha on the street courts of Rio's favelas — its lowest-income neighborhoods — instead of on the beach.
—Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 28 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for favela
Cite this Entry
“Favela.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/favela. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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