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Synonyms

shanty

1 American  
[shan-tee] / ˈʃæn ti /

noun

PLURAL

shanties

  1. a crudely built hut, cabin, or house.

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or constituting a shanty or shanties.

    a shanty quarter outside the town walls.

  2. of a low economic or social class, especially when living in a shanty.

    shanty people.

verb (used without object)

shantied, shantying

  1. to inhabit a shanty.

shanty 2 American  
[shan-tee] / ˈʃæn ti /
Also chanty,

Sometimes shantey

noun

PLURAL

shanties

  1. a sailors' song, especially one sung in rhythm to work.

shanty 1 British  
/ ˈʃæntɪ /

noun

  1. a ramshackle hut; crude dwelling

  2. a public house, esp an unlicensed one

    1. a log bunkhouse at a lumber camp

    2. the camp itself

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
shanty 2 British  
/ ˈʃæntɪ, ˈʃæntɪ, ˈtʃæn- /

noun

  1. a song originally sung by sailors, esp a rhythmic one forming an accompaniment to work

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • shantylike adjective

Etymology

Origin of shanty1

1810–20; probably < Canadian French chantier lumber camp, hut; French: yard, depot, gantry, stand for barrels < Latin cant ( h ) ērius rafter, prop, literally, horse in poor condition, nag < Greek kanthḗlios pack ass

Origin of shanty2

First recorded 1855–60; alteration of French chanter “to sing”; chant

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Only days earlier, Typhoon Kalmaegi sent floodwaters rushing through the towns and cities of Cebu province, sweeping away cars, riverside shanties and massive shipping containers.

From Barron's

Earlier this week, Typhoon Kalmaegi sent floodwaters rushing through the towns and cities of Cebu province, sweeping away cars, riverside shanties and massive shipping containers.

From Barron's

Floodwaters described as unprecedented rushed through Cebu province's towns and cities this week, sweeping away cars, riverside shanties and even massive shipping containers.

From Barron's

He sang sea shanties, determined to stay upbeat.

From BBC

The concert ended with the traditional programme of sea shanties and patriotic songs like Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory - as the audience waved flags, set off party poppers and waved stuffed toys.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.