Definition of hovelnext
as in hut
a small, simply constructed, and often temporary dwelling refugees living in crowded hovels

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of hovel The ceiling, in contrast to my first hovel, couldn’t be reached except by a tall ladder. — Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026 My friend was the definition of a reluctant landlord — an anti-Establishment type who furnished her grad-school hovel with wine crates and avoided any talk of money. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 22 Jan. 2026 In what by American standards would be considered a hovel, Gong is raised by his aging grandparents, his mother having abandoned him as a small child. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2025 Renaissance palaces next to hovels, 194 churches, and the domed roofs of onetime mosques—all reminders of countless invaders. — Antonia Quirke, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2019 See All Example Sentences for hovel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hovel
Noun
  • For this humble fishing village in Yemen, a tumbledown grouping of barely-there huts nestled between the water and an imposing mountain range, stands sentinel over one of the world’s most vital waterways.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Based on the hit play by KIt Sandler, the thriller reimagines the myth of Baba Yaga, a witch who is known to live in a hut on chicken legs and potentially is a murderous seductress or powerful enchantress, depending on the author of the tale.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • On Tuesday afternoon, an Israeli airstrike in the Jabaliya refugee camp north of the Gaza Strip killed one and injured several others, Gaza's Health Ministry said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
  • And Thunberg, who in January 2025 visited the Sahrawi camps with Lamin accompanying and translating for her, spoke plainly about what must change and called out the media for its silence.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Gun homicides mostly affect South Africa’s poorest communities in townships and informal settlements made up of shacks and small homes on the edges of big cities.
    — Gerald Imray, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Gun homicides mostly affect South Africa's poorest communities in townships and informal settlements made up of shacks and small homes on the edges of many big cities.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Guests can choose from a variety of room types, including classic lodge rooms, yurts, and cabins.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2026
  • No, the Unabomber, a onetime math genius and professor named Ted Kaczynski, was basically a hermit nerd in a Montana cabin who mailed bombs to scientists, engineers, professors, and other elites.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hovel. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster