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
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
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
-
The Canadian actor has gone ice fishing in the Arctic Circle in Lapland, searched for the Big Five in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, island-hopped in Greece, and ventured deep into the Costa Rican jungles around Arenal Volcano.—
Rachel Chang,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Oct. 2025
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Zayu the Jaguar, from the jungles of southern Mexico, embodies the rich heritage and vibrant spirit of the country.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Gaza population of more than 2 million has been repeatedly uprooted throughout the war, with most residents now squeezed into tent encampments in the southern part of the territory, near the border with Egypt.—
Greg Myre,
NPR,
9 Oct. 2025
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Gardner framed it to exclude the girl’s relatives, the commissioners’ assistants, the fort and nearby Indian encampments.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shantytowns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shantytowns. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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