plural slums
: a densely populated usually urban area marked especially by poverty
slummed; slumming; slums
: to visit slums especially out of curiosity
broadly
: to go somewhere or do something that might be considered beneath one's station
—sometimes used with it
slumming it in budget hotels
slummer
noun
Examples of slum in a Sentence
Noun
He grew up in the slums of New York.
Verb
He sometimes likes to go slumming in bars around the city.
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Gang members apparently gained access to the slum via a gully that runs parallel to the Auto Route of Delmas, the main thoroughfare.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2025
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
No one had any right to expect much of this new Ocean’s Eleven, which on paper looked like a smug cavalcade of Hollywood royalty slumming their way through an ultra-stylish crime caper.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slum
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.
Noun
The ethnic geography of Gujarat was transformed, with most of its Muslims crowded into slums.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Gang members apparently gained access to the slum via a gully that runs parallel to the Auto Route of Delmas, the main thoroughfare.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2025
Verb
The Filipino-language thriller follows Dahlia, a disillusioned police aide who steals money from the safe of her corrupt police chief boss, distributing it to slum dwellers whose homes were destroyed.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
No one had any right to expect much of this new Ocean’s Eleven, which on paper looked like a smug cavalcade of Hollywood royalty slumming their way through an ultra-stylish crime caper.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slum
Cite this Entry
“Slum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slum. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
slum
1 of 2 noun
: a thickly populated section especially of a city marked by crowding, dirty run-down housing, and generally poor living conditions
slum
2 of 2 verb
slummed; slumming
: to visit slums especially out of curiosity
slummer
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share