slum
1 of 2noun
ˈsləm 
plural slums
: a densely populated usually urban area marked especially by poverty
slum
2 of 2verb
slummed; slumming; slums
intransitive verb
: 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
Example Sentences
Noun He grew up in the slums of New York. His house is a slum. Verb He sometimes likes to go slumming in bars around the city.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 3 Sep. 2022 Abisha has filmed a documentary about a musical instrument played by Dalits during protests and told stories about the eviction of slum-dwellers in Chennai, which inspired her to write the rap song. Niha Masih, Washington Post, 10 June 2022 In addition, more than 470 people have been killed, injured or disappeared in less than a week amid gang fights in the nearby Cite Soleil slum, according to the United Nations. DÁnica Coto, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2022 In May, a police raid on another Rio favela killed 23 people, and last year, a shootout in a third slum left at least 29 people dead. Marina Lopes, Washington Post, 22 July 2022 The unemployed would be put to work in slum clearance, road building and other public works projects. Michael Bernick, Forbes, 19 July 2022 Imelda, governor of metro Manila, simply ordered the slum demolished and paved over, with 60 families carted to some vacant land 20 miles outside the capital, where they'd been dumped in a large field. David A. Andelman, CNN, 6 May 2022 Serafina Olegario, who, in 1974, is raising her infant son Carlinhos in a Brazilian slum after her married lover has rejected them both. Sun Sentinel, 22 June 2022 In July 2021, a group of drug traffickers approached the staff of a public vaccination site in a slum of Rio de Janeiro called Maré. Claudio Araujo, Scientific American, 18 May 2022 Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2021 The already legendary guitarist gets extra kudos for slumming it and taking the tube to The O2, rather than a limo. Richard Smirke, Billboard, 19 Feb. 2020 After a couple of years slumming in Cincinnati, Hearn asked about writing for The Cincinnati Enquirer. Jeff Suess, Cincinnati.com, 4 Apr. 2018 What happens when Meryl Streep and Ryan Gosling, two heavenly creatures slumming it in Hollywood, meet up at a glitzy awards gala? Josh Duboff, HWD, 1 Feb. 2017 See More
Noun
In 1954, the state of Maryland declared this neighborhood to be a slum. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 3 Sep. 2022 Abisha has filmed a documentary about a musical instrument played by Dalits during protests and told stories about the eviction of slum-dwellers in Chennai, which inspired her to write the rap song. Niha Masih, Washington Post, 10 June 2022 In addition, more than 470 people have been killed, injured or disappeared in less than a week amid gang fights in the nearby Cite Soleil slum, according to the United Nations. DÁnica Coto, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2022 In May, a police raid on another Rio favela killed 23 people, and last year, a shootout in a third slum left at least 29 people dead. Marina Lopes, Washington Post, 22 July 2022 The unemployed would be put to work in slum clearance, road building and other public works projects. Michael Bernick, Forbes, 19 July 2022 Imelda, governor of metro Manila, simply ordered the slum demolished and paved over, with 60 families carted to some vacant land 20 miles outside the capital, where they'd been dumped in a large field. David A. Andelman, CNN, 6 May 2022 Serafina Olegario, who, in 1974, is raising her infant son Carlinhos in a Brazilian slum after her married lover has rejected them both. Sun Sentinel, 22 June 2022 In July 2021, a group of drug traffickers approached the staff of a public vaccination site in a slum of Rio de Janeiro called Maré. Claudio Araujo, Scientific American, 18 May 2022 Verb
The reasons vary — scripts change, directors don’t share the actors’ visions, studio executives meddle, actors slum for a payday, whatever. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2021 The already legendary guitarist gets extra kudos for slumming it and taking the tube to The O2, rather than a limo. Richard Smirke, Billboard, 19 Feb. 2020 After a couple of years slumming in Cincinnati, Hearn asked about writing for The Cincinnati Enquirer. Jeff Suess, Cincinnati.com, 4 Apr. 2018 What happens when Meryl Streep and Ryan Gosling, two heavenly creatures slumming it in Hollywood, meet up at a glitzy awards gala? Josh Duboff, HWD, 1 Feb. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
origin unknown
First Known Use
Noun
1825, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1884, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
slum
noun
ˈsləm
: a very poor crowded dirty section especially of a city