slum

slum — noun

1. A poor section of a city with badly maintained buildings, tightly packed homes,

1.nounB2
Definition

A poor section of a city with badly maintained buildings, tightly packed homes, and families who struggle to afford basic needs.

Example

Rodrigo grew up in a slum where families shared one tap of water.

past tense: grew up in a slum

The government promised to build new houses in the slums of Mumbai.

collocation: the slums of [city]

Common collocations
  • slum area
  • slum dwelling
  • slum housing
  • slum conditions
  • live in a slum
  • slums of [city name]
Synonyms
  • shantytown

    a specific type of slum built from scrap materials like cardboard or corrugated metal

  • ghetto

    an area where a particular racial or ethnic group is forced to live; often has a stronger social and political meaning than 'slum'

  • favela

    a slum on a hillside in or near a Brazilian city; geographically specific

  • projects

    American English; government-built housing for low-income families, not necessarily in bad condition

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the slums

slums of [city]

Usage Note

Often used in the plural form 'slums' to refer to poor areas of a city in general. The singular 'a slum' refers to a specific area.

Common Mistakes

The rich neighborhood was a slum.
The rich neighborhood was not a slum.
'slum' describes poverty and poor conditions, not merely any disliked area.

2. A room, house, or other space that is extremely messy, untidy, or dirty.

2.nounB1
Definition

A room, house, or other space that is extremely messy, untidy, or dirty.

Example

After the party, my bedroom looked like a complete slum.

informal: look like a slum

Chiara refused to work in an office that was such a dirty slum.

Common collocations
  • look like a slum
  • be a slum
  • a complete slum
  • such a slum
Synonyms
  • dump

    informal; describes a place that is dirty or in bad condition; more common in American English

  • pigsty

    very informal; compares the mess to a pig's living area, often used for a very messy room

  • tip

    British informal; describes a very messy place, from 'rubbish tip' (garbage dump)

Antonyms
  • palace

    informal and humorous; a very clean, tidy, or luxurious place

Grammar Patterns

look like a slum

be a slum

Usage Note

This sense is informal and often used humorously or to exaggerate. It describes any space that is in a very untidy state, not just permanent living conditions. More common in British English than American English.

Common Mistakes

The desk is a slum' (when it's just a little untidy).
The room was a complete slum after the kids played inside all day.
'slum' implies extreme mess or dirt, not just mild untidiness.

slum — verb

Word family

  • slummy
    adjectiveC2
  • slumming
    nounC1
  • slum dweller
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe places where poor people live, but they differ in origin, scope, and connotation. 'Slum' is the most general term — any overcrowded urban area with poor housing and low incomes. 'Ghetto' carries a stronger social charge: it originally meant a part of a city where a minority group was forced to live, often due to discrimination. 'Shantytown' focuses on the type of housing — makeshift shelters built from scrap materials — and is common in descriptions of rapidly growing cities. 'Favela' is geographically specific to Brazil, particularly the hillside settlements in cities like Rio de Janeiro. 'Projects' (short for 'housing projects') is American English for government-built low-income housing blocks; unlike the others, 'projects' refers to official buildings, not informal settlements. For example: 'The documentary showed a shantytown built next to the railway tracks.' 'Her family grew up in the projects in Chicago.' 'The novel is set in a favela overlooking Rio.'

ghetto ↗shantytownfavelaprojects

Common collocations

Nouns

  • slum area
  • slum housing
  • slum conditions
  • slum dweller
  • slum clearance
  • slum landlord

Phrases

  • slum it
  • live in a slum
  • grow up in the slums

Prepositions

  • in a slum
  • out of the slum
  • the slums of [city]

Etymology

English (dialect)English

The word 'slum' first appeared in English in the early 1800s, originally as London slang for a back alley or a poor room. Its exact origin is uncertain — it may come from 'slump,' meaning a muddy or swampy area, or from a dialect word for a dirty room. By the mid-19th century, it was widely used to describe the overcrowded, poverty-stricken neighborhoods that grew rapidly during the Industrial Revolution.