slum

Everyday

1. A slum is a very poor, crowded part of a city where houses are badly built and people often lack clean water, toilets and safe electricity. tree →
2. (informal, UK) A very messy, dirty room or house: "Your bedroom is a slum!" tree →
3. (verb, informal) To slum it means to live or stay somewhere much cheaper or less comfortable than you are used to, often just for a short time. tree →

In the lessons

In geography and history lessons slums appear when cities grow fast: in Victorian London, in big cities of India, Brazil, Kenya and elsewhere today. The word tells the reader about poverty, overcrowding and danger from disease or fire. In stories it sets a hard, gritty scene. Phrases: "slum housing", "slum clearance", "live in a slum", "slum it", "slum landlord" (a landlord who rents out bad, unsafe homes).

Examples

• Many families in the slum shared one water tap. tree →
• In Victorian times, slums near the factories were full of smoke and disease. tree →
• The city cleared the old slums and built new flats. tree →
• Mum looked into my room and said it was a total slum. tree →
• We had to slum it in a tiny tent when the hotel was full. tree →
• Charities help children in slums go to school. tree →
• A slum landlord was fined for leaving the flats damp and cold. tree →
• Our geography teacher showed photos of a huge slum in Mumbai. tree →

Note

Countable: one slum, two slums. Calling someone's home a slum is hurtful unless it is a joke about your own mess. Many people now say "informal settlement" or "shanty town" in geography. "Slum it" is informal; past: slummed it. Not the same as "slump" (a sudden fall).