shanty

1 of 2

noun (1)

shan·​ty ˈshan- 

variant spelling of chantey

: a song sung by sailors in rhythm with their work

shanty

2 of 2

noun (2)

shan·​ty ˈshan-tē 

plural shanties

: a small crudely built dwelling or shelter usually of wood

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• cabin
• camp
• hooch [slang]
• hootch
• hovel
• hut
• hutch
• hutment
• shack

Examples of shanty in a Sentence

Noun (2)

lived just off the beach in a crude shanty

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Besides torch songs, sea shanties, Latino roots and rockabilly tunes have been heard. —Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024

In contrast with Jokowi, a former carpenter raised in a shanty and Indonesia’s first leader without military or political connections, Prabowo is very much of elite stock. —Charlie Campbell / Jakarta, TIME, 14 Oct. 2024

After a medley of sea shanties and swash-buckling tunes, Zimmer received a standing ovation before heading into intermission. —Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Sep. 2024

But the second movement unlocked the rhetorical qualities essential to Beethoven’s self-referential classic — the striding melody dissipating into a whisper, squirrelly strings introducing a minor-key woodwind shanty, a coda that seemed to shrug genially. —Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

probably from Canadian French chantier lumber camp, hut, from French, builder's yard, ways, support for barrels, from Old French chantier, gantier support — more at gantry

First Known Use

Noun (2)

1820, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

shanty

1 of 2

variant of chantey

shanty

2 of 2 noun

shan·​ty

ˈshant-ē

plural shanties

: shack, hut