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
In Brazil, Funk Brasilero, a genre deriving from the favelas and peripheries of major cities, has been around for a decade or more now, but deserves to expand beyond the country.
—
Rosamaria Garces, Billboard, 24 Nov. 2025
Now a community organizer and member of an anti-violence collective who works in the favela, Medeiros is no stranger to how the Red Command instills fear in its territories.
—Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
So does the bass-heavy genre baile funk, which emerged out of the city’s favelas before going global in the early 2000s.
—Carolina Abbott Galvão, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
The operation, which took place in the city’s favelas — poor neighborhoods long plagued by organized crime — was the deadliest in Rio’s history, the BBC reported.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for favela
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Rosamaria Garces, Billboard, 24 Nov. 2025
Now a community organizer and member of an anti-violence collective who works in the favela, Medeiros is no stranger to how the Red Command instills fear in its territories.
—Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
So does the bass-heavy genre baile funk, which emerged out of the city’s favelas before going global in the early 2000s.
—Carolina Abbott Galvão, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
The operation, which took place in the city’s favelas — poor neighborhoods long plagued by organized crime — was the deadliest in Rio’s history, the BBC reported.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 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 Dec. 2025.
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