summer camp

noun

plural summer camps

1

: a camp (see camp entry 1 sense 1d) for children or adolescents that operates during the summer and that often provides lodging for stays of days or weeks

… traditional summer camps—where your child rides a horse, paddles a canoe, reads a compass, and roasts s'mores around a campfire …

—David Lansing

… summer camp is about campfires, trail hikes and goofy skits. It's a chance to meet kids from different cities and to learn to sleep through the snores of cabin mates.

—Emily Seftel

also : such a camp that provides instruction of a specified kind

went to an arts summer camp

compare day camp

2

: an online usually educational program for children or adolescents offered during the summer

… a virtual summer camp offering free classes in everything from slime-making to dinosaurs to make-your-own Lego movies. Kids aged five through 18 can create their own schedule, with hour-long classes five days a week for each session.

—Lisa Milbrand

Examples of summer camp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Following new investments by Bloomberg Philanthropies and Griffin Catalyst, the initiative has announced an expansion of the program to reach more children, including extending services beyond schools to summer camps. —Alexandra Phelps updated May 15, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026

The film, which stars Hannah Einbinder as a filmmaker tasked with revamping a tired summer camp horror franchise with its cryptic lead played by Gillian Anderson in tow, is set to make its way to theaters this August. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 14 May 2026

Ben Stiller, Judd Apatow, and Kenan Thompson star in the 1995 family comedy, which follows a young boy named Gerry (Aaron Schwartz) get sent to a summer camp for kids who need to shed some pounds. —Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026

Billy now lives alone in the woods, in the same remote summer camp where the film was shot, smoking weed and eating lots of candy (Sunset Boulevard’s Norma Desmond is mentioned more than once). —Rachel Handler, Vulture, 14 May 2026

There will also be summer camp from June 1 through the end of July, which will include trips to other clubs with pools. —Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026

This can also be used for your child's daycare and summer camps. —Medora Lee, USA Today, 9 May 2026

For the short-term future, Flaherty is focused on bringing the best players from the Kansas/Missouri area to KU’s summer camps. —Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026

The wedding festivities spanned two days in New York’s Hudson Valley and incorporated a summer camp theme. —Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for summer camp

• firedamp
• amp
• champ
• clamp
• cramp
• damp
• gamp
• lamp
• ramp
• samp
• scamp
• stamp