gentrify

verb

gen·​tri·​fy ˈjen-trə-ˌfī How to pronounce gentrify (audio)
gentrified; gentrifying

transitive verb

: to attempt or accomplish the gentrification of
gentrified a run-down section of the city

intransitive verb

: to undergo gentrification
gentrifier
ˈjen-trə-ˌfī(-ə)r How to pronounce gentrify (audio)
noun

Examples of gentrify in a Sentence

As the neighborhood became gentrified, the people who had lived there for many years could no longer afford it.
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.
Under a Herald Instagram post on the coming campus, people were concerned about traffic and affordability in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026 Bed-Stuy, long home to mostly working-class Black families and homeowners, is one of the fastest-gentrifying neighborhoods in the city. — Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026 Hailing from 20th Television, with Robbins as writer and executive producer, Chicks is a family dramedy set in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods of old Boston. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 22 July 2026 By contrast, homes in gentrifying urban areas go for much less. — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for gentrify

Word History

Etymology

gentry + -ify (or as back-formation from gentrification)

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of gentrify was in 1972

Rhymes for gentrify

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Browse Nearby Words

gentrified
gentrify
gentry
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gentrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gentrify. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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