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
Kristi Miller, Twin Cities, 6 Aug. 2025
Not least because of Raimi’s trademark spectacularly kinetic camera work (bullet cam, anyone?) and stylish comic-book approach to violence – traits of The Quick And The Dead that have led to the film being referred to as a ‘splatter Western’.
—John Archer, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
The Mackinac Bridge has five bridge cams that update every 1 minute showing conditions on the bridge, per the Mackinac Bridge Authority.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 24 July 2025
Columnist Phil Boas writes about the now-former tech CEO whose extramarital affair with his HR director was unwittingly exposed on a Coldplay kiss cam.
—Joanna Allhands, AZCentral.com, 23 July 2025
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Noun
Dash cam footage and traffic cameras showed the motorcycle stop at the top of the next off-ramp.
—Kristi Miller, Twin Cities, 6 Aug. 2025
Not least because of Raimi’s trademark spectacularly kinetic camera work (bullet cam, anyone?) and stylish comic-book approach to violence – traits of The Quick And The Dead that have led to the film being referred to as a ‘splatter Western’.
—John Archer, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
The Mackinac Bridge has five bridge cams that update every 1 minute showing conditions on the bridge, per the Mackinac Bridge Authority.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 24 July 2025
Columnist Phil Boas writes about the now-former tech CEO whose extramarital affair with his HR director was unwittingly exposed on a Coldplay kiss cam.
—Joanna Allhands, AZCentral.com, 23 July 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 19 Aug. 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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