slum
slum Lexical Profile
slum Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A squalid and overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people.
"The municipal government launched an ambitious initiative to improve sanitation and housing in the city's slums."
• verb
To voluntarily spend time in a lower social level or in less comfortable conditions than one is used to (often used in the phrase 'slum it').
"Instead of booking a luxury resort, they decided to slum it in a budget hostel for the weekend."
To visit slums out of curiosity or for charitable purposes.
"In the late nineteenth century, wealthy socialites sometimes went slumming in the poorer districts of London."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a verb, 'slum' is most commonly used in the present participle ('slumming') or the informal phrase 'slum it,' meaning to voluntarily accept less comfortable conditions than one is accustomed to.
• Rhymes for slum
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the early 19th century as British cant meaning a room or back alley, though its ultimate origin remains uncertain.