noun

shanty

SHAN-tee

noun

A small, roughly built hut or shack, often makeshift.

"The fishermen kept their gear in a shanty by the harbour."

A rhythmic work song traditionally sung by sailors to keep time while doing physical labour on a ship.

"The choir performed a set of old sea shanties."

How to Use Shanty

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither a crude little shack, or a traditional sailors' work song — two different meanings for the same word.

Common mistake

Shanty (song) and chantey are alternate spellings of the same word — both are used.

Common pairings

sea shanty a run-down shanty shanty town

Word Forms

more shanty comparative, shantied past tense, shanties plural, shanties plural, shanties singular, most shanty superlative

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “shanty” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The fishermen kept their gear in a _____ by the harbour.

Etymology

The building sense probably comes from Canadian French chantier, "lumberjack's camp"; the sea-song sense has a separate, less certain origin, possibly related to French chanter, "to sing."

Rhymes for shanty

panty Santy warranty

See all rhymes for shanty →