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.
Despite the tent city’s removal, the area still functions as an open-air drug marketplace. — Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 20 Mar. 2026 And what has emerged over the past two years is more diffuse, more ideologically embedded, and in some ways harder to confront than a tent city on the quad. — Jonathan Falk, Sun Sentinel, 5 May 2026 Almost the entire population of Gaza, more than 2 million people, has been squeezed into vast, squalid tent cities dependent on international aid. — Melanie Lidman, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026 Almost the entire population of Gaza, more than 2 million people, has been squeezed into vast, squalid tent cities dependent on international aid. — Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026 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

Rhymes for tent city

See All Rhymes for tent city

Browse Nearby Words

tent caterpillar
tent city
tent club
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tent city.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tent%20city. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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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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