tent city
noun
plural tent cities
: a collection of many tents set up in an area to provide usually temporary shelter (as for people who don't have a permanent place of residence)
Tent cities of displaced homeowners have sprung up …—
Matt Woolsey
Matt WoolseyAnti-sweatshop protesters at FSU pitched a tent city last March to demand that the school join the Workers Rights Consortium …—Meline Toumani et al.
Meline Toumani et al.Examples of tent city in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Today’s top stories (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Mayor Karen Bass hopes to find common ground with Trump on homelessness
Trump has promised to place homeless people in tent cities.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024
Homeless youth like Johnson tend to be less visible than other segments of the city’s homeless population, typically sheltering with friends or family in temporary living situations as opposed to the tent cities that have drawn significant attention from media and residents.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 20 Nov. 2024
The city has historically prioritized finding housing for its homeless, many of whom stay in airports, on public transit or in tent cities across its parks and under bridges.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 5 Oct. 2024
The movement established a tent city that grew to more than 10,000 people, and as with Occupy, one of its objectives was to create a kind of alternative society.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tent city 
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.
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024
Homeless youth like Johnson tend to be less visible than other segments of the city’s homeless population, typically sheltering with friends or family in temporary living situations as opposed to the tent cities that have drawn significant attention from media and residents.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 20 Nov. 2024
The city has historically prioritized finding housing for its homeless, many of whom stay in airports, on public transit or in tent cities across its parks and under bridges.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 5 Oct. 2024
The movement established a tent city that grew to more than 10,000 people, and as with Occupy, one of its objectives was to create a kind of alternative society.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tent city
Dictionary Entries Near tent city
Cite this Entry
“Tent city.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tent%20city. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share