Meanings
plural shanty towns · alternative shantytown
- derogatoryinformalsometimesAn urban settlement composed predominantly of self-built, low-quality dwellings, often occupied by low-income households lacking secure land tenure.
The navvies of the Midland Railway toiled for years to build it, enduring grim conditions in shanty towns that were built miles from civilisation. But build it they did, to form part of the Midland's main line between London St Pancras and Carlisle via Sheffield and Leeds from 1876.
2020 May 20, Philip Haigh, “Ribblehead: at the heart of the S&C's survival and its revival”, in Rail, page 26Synonyms: Hooverville, slum
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn urban settlement composed predominantly of self-built, low-quality dwellings, often occupied by low-income households lacking secure land tenure.
Translations
Catalan barri de barraques
- barri de barraquesarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
Chinese Mandarin 棚戶區 /棚户区
- 棚戶區 /棚户区 (pénghùqū)area containing a collection of shacks and shanties
Dutch sloppenwijk
- sloppenwijkarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
Esperanto kvartalaĉo
- kvartalaĉoarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
Estonian pilpaküla
- pilpakülaarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
Finnish hökkelikylä, hökkelikaupunki
- hökkelikyläarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
- hökkelikaupunkiarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
French bidonville
- bidonvillearea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
German Informelle Siedlung, Marginalsiedlung
- Informelle Siedlungarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
- Marginalsiedlungarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
- Barackenstadtarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
- Elendsviertelarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
- Slumarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
Greek παραγκούπολη
- παραγκούπολη (paragkoúpoli)area containing a collection of shacks and shanties
Icelandic kofaþorp
- kofaþorparea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
Italian baraccopoli
- baraccopoliarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
Māori kuha papa kāinga
- kuha papa kāingaarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
Portuguese favela, bairro de lata
- favelaarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
- bairro de lataarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
- mussequearea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
Russian трущоба, посёлок лачуг
- трущоба (truščoba)area containing a collection of shacks and shanties
- посёлок лачуг (posjólok lačug)area containing a collection of shacks and shanties
Spanish villa miseria
- villa miseriaarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
Swedish kåkstad
- kåkstadarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
Turkish kenar mahalle, gecekondu mahallesi
- kenar mahallearea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
- gecekondu mahallesiarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
- gecekondu bölgesiarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
- varoşarea containing a collection of shacks and shanties
Cite this entry
shanty town. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shanty%20town
“shanty town.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shanty%20town. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shanty town,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shanty%20town.
Source: shanty town on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.