tent city

noun

plural tent cities
: a collection of many tents set up in an area to provide usually temporary shelter (as for people who don't have a permanent place of residence)
Tent cities of displaced homeowners have sprung up …Matt Woolsey
Anti-sweatshop protesters at FSU pitched a tent city last March to demand that the school join the Workers Rights Consortium …Meline Toumani et al.

Examples of tent city in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
When Castro opened the Port of Mariel to fleeing Cubans four decades ago, overwhelmed local and federal agencies shepherded those without any prior connection to the U.S. to makeshift tent cities under the I-95 overpass along the Miami river. Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2025 State officials have said the fabric-and-steel-frame tent city is designed to withstand Category 2 winds of up to 110 mph, and contingency measures are available if a stronger storm threatens. Skyler Swisher, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 July 2025 The tent city was set up at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport located around 45 miles west of Miami and is only accessible through a two-lane highway, Reuters reported. Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 26 July 2025 They were housed in crude tent cities on the populated side of the base, including on the current site of the Pentagon’s detention facility for detainees in the war against terrorism. Hamed Aleaziz, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tent city

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tent city was in 1838

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Cite this Entry

“Tent city.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tent%20city. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

tent city

noun
: a group of many tents set up to provide usually temporary shelter (as for displaced or homeless people)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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