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 The city has historically prioritized finding housing for its homeless, many of whom stay in airports, on public transit or in tent cities across its parks and under bridges. Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 5 Oct. 2024 The movement established a tent city that grew to more than 10,000 people, and as with Occupy, one of its objectives was to create a kind of alternative society. Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2024 People at the tent city agreed Sam had the knives for self-defense. Jose A. Del Real, Washington Post, 19 July 2024 Zuhdi Ahmed, 20, of Ossining, N.Y. is facing hate crime assault and other hate crime charges for the April 20 attack as pro-Palestinian protesters pitched a tent city and held protests on campus. Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 13 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for tent city 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tent city.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near tent city

Cite this Entry

“Tent city.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tent%20city. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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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