Shack/ʃæk/ Definition 1 of 2Pro Tip 1/3Housing Quality Implies a lack of comfort or luxury, often temporary or improvised housing. During the gold rush, miners lived in shacks near the mines. Pro Tip 2/3Rustic Charm Sometimes used nostalgically or affectionately for quaint or simple rural dwellings. We spent our summer in an old fishing shack by the lake. Pro Tip 3/3Poverty Indicator Can be used to signify economic hardship or poor living conditions. Families in that area were living in shacks with no running water.