slum

1 of 2

noun

ˈsləm 

plural slums

: a densely populated usually urban area marked especially by poverty

slum

2 of 2

verb

slummed; slumming; slums

intransitive verb

: to visit slums especially out of curiosity

broadly : to go somewhere or do something that might be considered beneath one's station

—sometimes used with it

slumming it in budget hotels

slummer noun

Examples of slum in a Sentence

Noun

He grew up in the slums of New York.

Verb

He sometimes likes to go slumming in bars around the city.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This week on The Sunday Story, NPR correspondent Diaa Hadid and co-reporter Shweta Desai investigate the supply chain of human eggs in India, from fertility clinics catering to the wealthy to the slums of Mumbai and Chennai. —Diaa Hadid, NPR, 8 Mar. 2026

There’s a program run by a family friend that lives in Uganda that helps people trying to get jobs and leave the slums. —Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026

Verb

Booted out of his royal Windsor lodgings, was slumming it on the king’s private estate in Norfolk. —Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026

Instead, Koru had to slum it next to oil tankers and large shipping vessels in the city’s container port. —Tristan Bove, Fortune, 12 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1825, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1884, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for slum

• bum
• chum
• come
• crum
• cum
• drum
• dum
• dumb
• from
• frum
• glum
• gum

Kids Definition

slum

1 of 2 noun

ˈsləm 

: a thickly populated section especially of a city marked by crowding, dirty run-down housing, and generally poor living conditions

slum

2 of 2 verb

slummed; slumming

: to visit slums especially out of curiosity

slummer noun