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
Ignacio Calderon, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
On Wednesday, rescuers recovered the bodies of a mother and her 7-year-old child two days after an Israeli airstrike Monday hit a densely populated slum near Beirut’s main public hospital, Saad al-Ahmar, the commander of the Civil Defense’s southern district fire and rescue unit, told the AP.
—Mohammed Zaatari and Kareem Chehayeb, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024
James Russell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2024
Years of doing comedy and doing improv comedy taught me so many things about pacing, timing, stamina, how to manage physicality — and doing stage work, doing theater, slumming away on the stage, sometimes for no one.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 22 Nov. 2023
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
Some TdA members have tattoos of Michael Jordan or the NBA legend’s #23 jersey number, supposedly for the 23 de Enero neighborhood, one of Caracas’ most dangerous slums.
—Ignacio Calderon, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
On Wednesday, rescuers recovered the bodies of a mother and her 7-year-old child two days after an Israeli airstrike Monday hit a densely populated slum near Beirut’s main public hospital, Saad al-Ahmar, the commander of the Civil Defense’s southern district fire and rescue unit, told the AP.
—Mohammed Zaatari and Kareem Chehayeb, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024
Verb
The programming and community hub is named for the late Meow Wolf co-founder who spent a lot of time slumming at the mall before heading to Santa Fe to play with trash, sweep floors and lay the groundwork for the group’s expansion.
—James Russell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2024
Years of doing comedy and doing improv comedy taught me so many things about pacing, timing, stamina, how to manage physicality — and doing stage work, doing theater, slumming away on the stage, sometimes for no one.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 22 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for slum
Dictionary Entries Near slum
Cite this Entry
“Slum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slum. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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