1. to change a poor urban area by improving buildings and attracting wealthier residents, often displacing existing lower-income residents
Usage: often used in discussions of urban development and social issues

Examples

• The city plans to gentrify the downtown district with new condos and upscale shops.
• Many longtime residents worry that developers will gentrify their neighborhood.
• As property values rose, the area began to gentrify rapidly.
• Local activists protested efforts to gentrify the historic community.
• The coffee shops and art galleries were early signs that the area would gentrify.
• Rising rents often accompany attempts to gentrify older neighborhoods.