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
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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
In the 1950s, de Jesus kept a diary that chronicled her struggles to earn an income and feed her three children in a poor, urban community known as a favela in Sao Paulo.
—ABC News, 17 Feb. 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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Laura French, TheWeek, 18 Mar. 2026
In the 1950s, de Jesus kept a diary that chronicled her struggles to earn an income and feed her three children in a poor, urban community known as a favela in Sao Paulo.
—ABC News, 17 Feb. 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 25 Mar. 2026.
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