gentrify

verb

gen·​tri·​fy ˈjen-trə-ˌfī 

gentrified; gentrifying

transitive verb

: to attempt or accomplish the gentrification of

gentrified a run-down section of the city

intransitive verb

: to undergo gentrification

gentrifier

ˈjen-trə-ˌfī(-ə)r 

noun

Examples of gentrify in a Sentence

As the neighborhood became gentrified, the people who had lived there for many years could no longer afford it.

Recent Examples on the Web

The government intends to demolish the buildings in disrepair and start from the ground up, but their plans to relocate the residents don’t consider their specific needs (such as the size of each family) and aims for a blanket gentrifying fix. —Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 29 Jan. 2024

The lawsuits have been filed predominantly in heavily Black neighborhoods, which property owners see as part of a mission to gentrify and redevelop their neighborhoods by pushing them out. —Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024

And while Windham has been gentrifying for years, Mr. Fromer said the town had not yet been overrun by high-end retailers and luxury amenities. —Claire Fahy, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2023

Antoine and Olga are guilty of gentrifying the place for their loftier dreams of sustainability, yet that still doesn’t justify the primal instincts that drive Xan and Lorenzo. —Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2023

Food Are these trendy restaurants gentrifying Glassell Park? —Lucas Kwan Peterson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2023

Lisa’s been leading the protests against Bondurant’s attempts to gentrify the neighborhood where her restaurant and home are located, which lands her with a restraining order from Bondurant that becomes null and void pretty quickly because, not long after, whoopsie, Bondurant ends up dead. —The Verdict Is, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2023

Are these trendy restaurants gentrifying Glassell Park? —Karim Doumar, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2023

After university, Jon had spent several years working in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, a once-gritty neighborhood that had begun to gentrify in recent years. —Scott Johnson, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

gentry + -ify (or as back-formation from gentrification)

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined at transitive sense