slum
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slum¹
- /slʌm/
Rhymes with -ʌm
Where it comes from
First attested in 1812. Originally slang, in the sense "room", especially "backroom", of unknown origin.
noun slums
- A dilapidated neighborhood where many people live in a state of poverty. Go to the half built-upon slums behind Battlebridge […] you will find groups of boys […] squatting in the mud, among the rubbish, the broken bricks, the dust-heaps, and the fragments of timber […]
- Inexpensive trinkets awarded as prizes in a carnival game. The lower the price of slum the better it is for the operator who can either give more of it out or build up the size of his big prizes. It is the big prizes that bring the play, even though the winner has to be satisfied with a piece of slum for his efforts.
Similar: barrio, bad part of town, estate, favela, ghetto, Hell's Kitchen, jects, projects, scheme, shantytown, sink estate, slum
verb slums · slumming · slummed
- To visit a neighborhood of a status below one's own. The princess goes slumming.
- To saunter about in a disreputable manner.
slum²
- /slʌm/
Rhymes with -ʌm
Where it comes from
See slumgullion.
noun
- Slumgullion; a meat-based stew.
Similar: barrio, bad part of town, estate, favela, ghetto, Hell's Kitchen, jects, projects, scheme, shantytown, sink estate, slum
slum³
- /slʌm/
Rhymes with -ʌm
noun
- Nonsense; humbug. And this, without more slum began, / Over a flowing pot-house can, / To settle, without botheration, / The rigs of this here tip-top nation.
Similar: barrio, bad part of town, estate, favela, ghetto, Hell's Kitchen, jects, projects, scheme, shantytown, sink estate, slum
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: slummy, poor, slum area, favela, barrio, ghetto, shantytown, shanty, neighbourhood, hellhole, neighborhood, dump, hovel, squatter, hill, mess
noun
Similar: barrio, bad part of town, estate, favela, ghetto, Hell's Kitchen, jects, projects, scheme, shantytown, sink estate, slum
noun
Similar: barrio, bad part of town, estate, favela, ghetto, Hell's Kitchen, jects, projects, scheme, shantytown, sink estate, slum
noun
Similar: barrio, bad part of town, estate, favela, ghetto, Hell's Kitchen, jects, projects, scheme, shantytown, sink estate, slum
Translations
Every language
noun dilapidated neighborhood
| Español | barrio marginal, barrio pobre, barrio bajo, asentamiento, barriada bruja, barriada de emergencia |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 빈민가 binmin'ga, 빈민굴 binmin'gul, 슬럼 seulleom |
| 日本語 | スラム suramu, 貧民街 hinmingai, 貧民窟 hinminkutsu |
| 中文 | 貧民窟 /贫民窟 pínmínkū, 棚戶區 /棚户区 pénghùqū, 貧民區 /贫民区 pínmínqū |
| हिन्दी | बस्ती bastī, गंदी बस्ती gandī bastī |
| Kiswahili | kitongoji duni |
| Português | favela, bairro de lata, musseque |
| Français | bidonville |
| Deutsch | Slum, Elendsviertel, Armensiedlung |
| Italiano | bassofondo, baraccopoli |
| Ελληνικά | φτωχογειτονιά ftochogeitoniá, παραγκούπολη paragkoúpoli |
| Română | mahala, ghetou |
| Русский | трущо́ба truščóba |
| Tiếng Việt | khu ổ chuột, ổ chuột |
| العربية | مِنْطَقَة عَشْوَائِيَّة minṭaqa ʕašwāʔiyya |
Talk about this word "slum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/slum. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. slum. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/slum "slum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/slum.Cite this
@misc{slum_2026,
title = {slum},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/slum},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
