cam

1 of 3

noun (1)

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
Law enforcement agencies such as Los Angeles police are planning to use AI to analyze the tone and word choice of officers in body cam videos. Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2023 And some of these cams only update once every few seconds — or sometimes even less frequently. Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 22 Nov. 2023 The images were culled from hundreds of hours of footage retrieved from terrorist body cams, security cameras, victims’ mobile phones and other sources. Andrew Wallenstein, Variety, 9 Nov. 2023 That daycare whose security cam picked up a few moments of Doty’s onslaught? Lauren Smiley, WIRED, 7 Nov. 2023 Accidents happen every day, so why not make sure you’re protected from other drivers’ mistakes with help from this dash cam? Kathy Barr, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2023 After Irizarry rolled up the driver's side window, the district attorney's office claims that Dial discharged into the vehicle six times, and body cam footage showed Irizarry was hit at close range. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 27 Sep. 2023 At least two Alabama cities have released body cam footage, prompting some Mobile council members to inquire as to why the city cannot do the same. John Sharp | Jsharp@al.com, al, 19 Sep. 2023 Each cam comes with a base and two screws to secure to a wall or window sill, while set up is plug-and-play with a smartphone and Blink mobile app. Rudie Obias, Variety, 26 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cam.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of cam was in 1777

Dictionary Entries Near cam

Cite this Entry

“Cam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cam. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.

Kids 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 noun
Etymology

Noun

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

Medical Definition

CAM

abbreviation
1
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

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

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