I. slum 1 /slʌm/ BrE AmE noun
1 . [countable] a house or an area of a city that is in very bad condition, where very poor people live:
a slum area
slum housing
the slums of London
2 . [singular] British English informal a very untidy place
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THESAURUS
▪ area a part of a town or country, or of the world:
They live in a very wealthy area.
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coastal areas
▪ region a large area of a country or the world:
the northwest region of Russia
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desert regions
▪ zone an area that is different from other areas around it in some way:
a war zone
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a no-parking zone
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We crossed two different time zonesareas where there is a particular time compared to the rest of the world.
▪ district one of the areas a city or town is officially divided into, or an area of a city where a particular group live or an activity happens:
the Chelsea district of Manhattan
| the business/financial/theatre etc district :
the financial district of London
▪ neighbourhood British English , neighborhood American English /ˈneɪbəhʊd $ -ər-/ an area of a town where people live:
a friendly neighbourhood
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There are lots of trees in our neighborhood.
▪ suburb an area outside the centre of a city, where people live:
a suburb of Boston
▪ quarter an area of a town or city where people of a particular nationality live:
the French quarter of New Orleans
▪ slum an area of a city that is in very bad condition, where many poor people live:
He grew up in the slums of East London.
▪ ghetto an area of a city where poor people of a particular race or class live:
a black baby born in the ghetto
II. slum 2 BrE AmE verb
slum it/be slumming informal to spend time in conditions that are much worse than you are used to – often used humorously:
Jeremy doesn’t slum it when he goes away.