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
gentrifier 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.
But when a group of young developers arrives hoping to gentrify the town, Leatherface begins his killing spree yet again. Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025 The theft sends him on an odyssey across the gentrifying streets of Toronto to recover his music in time for a potentially life-changing meeting with a Grammy winner. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025 Residents said developers will quickly gentrify Pottstown if the 1% sales tax transit referendum passes in November. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 8 Oct. 2025 Set in the rapidly gentrifying Echo Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, protagonist Sean Hangland is on the cusp of turning 50, working as a bookseller, and, at least on these pages, in a perpetually foul mood. Susan Coll september 12, Literary Hub, 12 Sep. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gentrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gentrify. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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