tent city
noun
plural tent cities
: a collection of many tents set up in an area to provide usually temporary shelter (as for people who don't have a permanent place of residence)
Tent cities of displaced homeowners have sprung up …—
Matt Woolsey
Matt WoolseyAnti-sweatshop protesters at FSU pitched a tent city last March to demand that the school join the Workers Rights Consortium …—Meline Toumani et al.
Meline Toumani et al.Examples of tent city in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His family was rescued from a refugee camp in Guam with the help of AP reporter Linda Deutsch, who was covering the tent city, and flown to Camp Pendleton.
—ABC News, 26 May 2026
The result can be seen in Al-Mina camp, a tent city abutting Obeid’s northern entrance that is now hosting no fewer than 49,000 people, with more coming by the day, said Mounir Ibrahim, a social researcher with the government.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
The increase can be seen around the city as more tent cities pop up, Shaw Thompson said.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Despite the tent city’s removal, the area still functions as an open-air drug marketplace.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tent city
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
ABC News, 26 May 2026
The result can be seen in Al-Mina camp, a tent city abutting Obeid’s northern entrance that is now hosting no fewer than 49,000 people, with more coming by the day, said Mounir Ibrahim, a social researcher with the government.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
The increase can be seen around the city as more tent cities pop up, Shaw Thompson said.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Despite the tent city’s removal, the area still functions as an open-air drug marketplace.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tent city
Cite this Entry
“Tent city.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tent%20city. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
