tent city

noun

plural tent cities
: a collection of many tents set up in an area to provide usually temporary shelter (as for people who don't have a permanent place of residence)
Tent cities of displaced homeowners have sprung up …Matt Woolsey
Anti-sweatshop protesters at FSU pitched a tent city last March to demand that the school join the Workers Rights Consortium …Meline Toumani et al.

Examples of tent city in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The site where Coral Gables Senior High School is today was once a tent city for construction workers. Jimena Romero, Miami Herald, 19 May 2025 The tent city that pro-Palestinian students had erected in the Harvard Yard came down after Dr. Garber helped bring about a peaceful end to weeks of student demonstrations. Gina Kolata, New York Times, 3 May 2025 Now, hundreds of thousands live in crowded tent cities. Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 7 Oct. 2024 As for the cleanup of tent city, ATI Restoration crews have removed 233 tons of debris from the 6-acre site at a cost of $2 million, $500,000 less than the city had expected to pay, Kozal said. Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tent city

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tent city was in 1838

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Cite this Entry

“Tent city.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tent%20city. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

tent city

noun
: a group of many tents set up to provide usually temporary shelter (as for displaced or homeless people)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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