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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Nearby favelas had been removed beginning in the 1990s, ostensibly because the communities were causing environmental damage.
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From the piece: Promises that the Olympics would modernize Rio and make its streets safer and favelas cleaner have also failed.
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She was born in Moça Bonita, an impoverished favela in Rio de Janeiro.
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On the same day Melo was shot, a mother and daughter were killed in the Mangueira favela near the iconic Maracana stadium as police and criminals exchanged fire for over three hours.
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Robson Luiz de Mendonca, 46, knows firsthand how life in a favela can consume loved ones.
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Amid a sharp increase in violence in favelas, or slums, millions of Rio residents are facing daily stresses akin to those in a war zone.
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The rich traverse the skies in private jets, while the poor struggle in favelas, the shantytowns that have come to symbolize the city’s impoverished.
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In Rio, which hosted the Games last summer, favelas were emptied before the opening ceremony, but organizers promised that venues would have a positive, lasting impact for the community.
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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