Definition of favela
: a settlement of jerry-built shacks lying on the outskirts of a Brazilian city
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Recent Examples of favela from the Web
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Chronic housing shortages have left every major city dotted with makeshift settlements known as favelas.
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Dado Galdieri—Bloomberg/Getty Images Franco, a popular local LGBTQ and human rights activist, grew up in one of Rio’s largest favelas, and rose to political prominence by denouncing economic inequality and police brutality.
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Fears of police excesses were heightened when soldiers were seen searching the backpacks of young school children and taking photos and gathering information of residents of some favelas.
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Your business-intelligence analyst title won’t sound as interesting at EDM festivals compared with your friend’s project to raise $10,000 and clean up a few tenements in a Rio de Janeiro favela.
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She was known for social work in poor and marginalized shantytowns, or favelas, and for her outspokenness against police violence.
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One week later, eight young men were killed by police in Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro’s largest favela.
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Her last post on Twitter called attention to the murder of a young favela resident.
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Since then, the situation has worsened, and President Michel Temer has deployed the Brazilian military to stage an intervention in the favelas of Rio.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'favela.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of favela
Brazilian Portuguese favela, perhaps from Favela, hill outside Rio de Janeiro
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