as in favelas
a usually poor town or a part of a town where the people live in shanties
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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
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
Noun
-
From attics filled with secrets and dragon war colleges to the jungles of Vietnam and the beaches of Newport, audiobooks can transport listeners to some unforgettable places.—
Ashlee Conour,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The charming town, tucked away in the northern jungles of Costa Rica and beneath the marvelous Arenal Volcano, is an experience for the senses.—
Lauren P. Reyes,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The enforcement was focused on homeless encampments along Loop 410 at San Pedro, Broadway, McCullough and Jones Maltsberger, as well as the 6000 block of San Pedro under a bridge near Olmos Creek.—
Jacob Beltran,
San Antonio Express-News,
26 Feb. 2026
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In her previous role, Dalton worked to drive down street homelessness by increasing outreach to those living in tents and encampments outdoors.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shantytowns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shantytowns. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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