boot camp

noun

1

: a navy or marine corps camp for basic training

2

: a disciplinary facility or program in which young offenders are forced to participate in a rigidly structured routine

3

: a place or undertaking that resembles a military boot camp especially by requiring one to endure intensive training or initiation

Nowadays, the more talented players view their college years as necessary boot camp to prepare them for the riches waiting for them in pro football.

—Anson Mount

These youngsters are put through what amounts to a boot camp of courses in music notation, basic harmony and ear-training.

—Smithsonian

Examples of boot camp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Intuit runs a multi-week onboarding boot camp to get them up to speed and address those gaps. —John Kell, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026

He was chosen for his specialty during boot camp at Parris Island after a sergeant noticed drafting was on his enlistment papers. —Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026

At boot camp, Cope is driven hard by drill instructor Sergeant Liam Sullivan, played by Max Parker. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

Webster had joined the military at 19, taken his first plane ride to boot camp in South Carolina, gotten his first taste of lobster tail on a ship in the Mediterranean. —Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for boot camp

• decamp
• encamp
• headlamp
• preamp
• revamp
• timestamp
• amp
• champ
• clamp
• cramp
• damp
• gamp

Kids Definition

boot camp

noun

: a camp where recently enlisted members of the Navy or Marine Corps receive their basic training