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

The feature, directed by Phil Giordano, follows Aya (Loisa Andalio), a young girl from Manila’s slums who dreams of becoming a billiards world champion but is manipulated by her hustler uncle Itoy, played by Arcilla, into playing dangerous underground gambling matches after her father’s murder. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 Nov. 2025

The project involves roughly 300,000 volunteers and reaches deep jungles, city slums, mountainside villages and more than 1,000 remote Pacific islands, according to Samaritan’s Purse. —Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 22 Nov. 2025

Verb

New York’s cinephiles will no longer have to slum it at AMC or Regal. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 23 July 2025

Some will doubtless feel this career detour is slumming. —James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025

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