as in favelas
a usually poor town or a part of a town where the people live in shanties
Related 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 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
-
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
-
Our favorite Bahia Principe hotel destinations There’s no shortage of fabulous Bahia Principe properties in desirable locations—from private baysides to lush jungles.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
On Tuesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department detectives said that his death was being investigated as a potential connection to three other homicides that have happened at the same group of encampments in Willowbrook over four months, dating back to last October.—
Rachel Kim,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Pathway Home, the county program that cleans up encampments and moves people into motels and shelters, will see a $92-million cut in funding, according to the county homeless department.—
Andrew Khouri,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shantytowns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shantytowns. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
