shantytowns

noun

plural of shantytown
as in favelas
a usually poor town or a part of a town where the people live in shanties

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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 shantytowns In the brightly billboarded carcass of a West Coast city, private security shields the corporate enclaves of a tech élite from the shantytowns of the economically superfluous. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026 Their target was the Comando Vermelho (CV), or Red Command, a criminal organization that has ruled these hillside shantytowns for decades. — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025 Farmers once proud of living and working their ancestral land were driven into poverty and forced into shantytowns. — Nik Kowsar, Time, 2 Oct. 2025 These new shantytowns are plagued with substance abuse, violence and prostitution. — Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shantytowns
  1. jungles
  2. encampments
Noun
  • Perilous jungles, scorching deserts and frozen tundra slowed him down, but bureaucratic holdups brought his adventure to a halt for long periods.
    — Brian Melley, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Perilous jungles, scorching deserts and frozen tundra slowed him down, but bureaucratic red tape often brought his adventure to a halt for long periods.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of jungles
Noun
  • The new Community Response Team will respond to homeless encampments, loitering concerns and cleanup efforts, with the goal of making downtown cleaner and safer while allowing police officers to focus more on patrols and crime.
    — Brady Halbleib, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Members will also respond to concerns about encampments and loitering, coordinate cleanup efforts, help businesses navigate city services and assist with special events.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of encampments

Browse Nearby Words

shantytown
shantytowns
shapable
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Cite this Entry

“Shantytowns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shantytowns. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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