cam

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈkam 

1

: a rotating or sliding piece (such as an eccentric wheel or a cylinder with an irregular shape) in a mechanical linkage used especially in transforming rotary motion into linear motion or vice versa

2

: camshaft

an engine with a single overhead cam

cam

2 of 3

noun (2)

: camera

especially : video camera

CAM

3 of 3

abbreviation

1

computer-aided manufacturing

2

complementary and alternative medicine

Examples of cam in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The woman at the center of the viral Coldplay kiss cam scandal is firing back after her former employer leaned into the controversy with a Gwyneth Paltrow ad that Cabot said crossed a line. —Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 20 Dec. 2025

Here's everything to know about her life in the aftermath of the Coldplay kiss cam saga. —Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 2025

Kristin Cabot, the former head of HR for Astronomer, is airing her grievances after becoming the fodder for social commentary in the aftermath of getting caught embracing her boss in the summer's most viral Coldplay kiss cam moment. —Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Dec. 2025

Few viral moments were as far-reaching or internet-breaking in 2025 as the Coldplay kiss cam scandal — but only one person can speak to the life-altering experience of being the woman caught in the center of it all. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

perhaps from French came, from German Kamm, literally, comb, from Old High German kamb

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1777, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1969, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cam

• body cam
• cam girl
• cam wheel
• dash cam

Rhymes for cam

• am
• bam
• cham
• clam
• damme
• damn
• dram
• flam
• fram
• gram
• ham
• jam

Kids Definition

cam

1 of 2 noun

ˈkam 

: a device by which circular motion may be transformed into stop-and-start or back-and-forth motion

cam

2 of 2 noun

: camera sense 2

Etymology

Noun

perhaps from French came "cam," from German Kamm, literally, "comb"

Medical Definition

CAM

abbreviation

1

cell adhesion molecule

2

complementary and alternative medicine

According to a 2002 survey by the National Center for Health Statistics, 36 percent of adults in the United States used some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), including naturopathy, relaxation techniques, chiropractic, yoga, massage, and diets.

—In-Sung Yoo, The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware)

Geographical Definition

Cam

geographical name

ˈkam 

river 40 miles (64 kilometers) long in Cambridgeshire, east central England, flowing into the Ouse River