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
: camera
especially
: video camera
1
computer-aided manufacturing
2
complementary and alternative medicine
Examples of cam in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
As Bloomberg reported, Nestlé, Kohl's, and even Astronomer's former CEO, caught on a stadium kiss cam, illustrates how quickly reputations can unravel when what's done in private is exposed to the spotlight.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Multi-cam sitcoms often take longer to find an audience.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
Inspired by the colonial Singapore gangsters rulers, four girls, at a modern-day regimented elite secondary school form their own gang cam-recording petty acts of rebellion, led by firebrand freethinking lesbian Choo Xin Yu.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cam
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Noun
Janelle, a 35-year-old woman from Baltimore, Maryland, shared dramatic baby-cam footage on social media of what unfolded with her 7-month-old son Zylo that night.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
As Bloomberg reported, Nestlé, Kohl's, and even Astronomer's former CEO, caught on a stadium kiss cam, illustrates how quickly reputations can unravel when what's done in private is exposed to the spotlight.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Multi-cam sitcoms often take longer to find an audience.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
Inspired by the colonial Singapore gangsters rulers, four girls, at a modern-day regimented elite secondary school form their own gang cam-recording petty acts of rebellion, led by firebrand freethinking lesbian Choo Xin Yu.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cam
Cite this Entry
“Cam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cam. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cam
1 of 2 noun
: a device by which circular motion may be transformed into stop-and-start or back-and-forth motion
cam
2 of 2 nounEtymology
Noun
perhaps from French came "cam," from German Kamm, literally, "comb"
Medical Definition
CAM
abbreviation2
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)
In-Sung Yoo, The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware)Geographical Definition
Cam
geographical name
river 40 miles (64 kilometers) long in Cambridgeshire, east central England, flowing into the Ouse River
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