slum
To visit a neighborhood of a status below one's ownTo visit a neighborhood of a status below one's own.
Recorded US: Dvortygirl, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
» Slums can be dangerous.
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
2 senses(intransitive)To visit a neighborhood of a status below one's own.
(UK, dated, intransitive, slang)To saunter about in a disreputable manner.
- spend time at a lower socio-economic level than one's own, motivated by curiosity or desire for adventure; usage considered condescending and insensitive
Examples
31 sentencesSlums can be dangerous.
Tom lives in a slum.
ruТом живёт в трущобе. — Balamax
deTom lebt in einem Elendsviertel. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
Algiers doesn't have large slums anymore.
This slum is growing like a weed.
Algiers is getting rid of its slums.
Origin
First attested in 1812. Originally slang, in the sense "room", especially "backroom", of uFirst attested in 1812. Originally slang, in the sense "room", especially "backroom", of unknown origin.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
slums, slumming, slummed, slummedWord family
2 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.