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
Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2025
The crackdown on those who are neither registered with the UNHCR nor awaiting resettlement to a third country is continuing in phases, with thousands of Afghans sheltering in safehouses and slums hoping to resist repatriation to their home country.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN, 6 Feb. 2025
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
Seasons 4 and 5 saw the four main characters all get promoted to junior lieutenants, after slumming it as ensigns for the majority of the series.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for slum
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Noun
From the slums of Victorian London, the Baker Street Four of the series are Billy, who see himself as the brains of the band of urchins, Tom, an acrobat and ace pickpocket, and Charlotte, the resourceful one of the group.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2025
The crackdown on those who are neither registered with the UNHCR nor awaiting resettlement to a third country is continuing in phases, with thousands of Afghans sheltering in safehouses and slums hoping to resist repatriation to their home country.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN, 6 Feb. 2025
Verb
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
Seasons 4 and 5 saw the four main characters all get promoted to junior lieutenants, after slumming it as ensigns for the majority of the series.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for slum
Cite this Entry
“Slum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slum. Accessed 13 Mar. 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
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