campaign

1 of 2

noun

cam·​paign (ˌ)kam-ˈpān 

1

: a connected series of military operations forming a distinct phase of a war

the bombing campaign

2

: a connected series of operations designed to bring about a particular result

election campaign

an advertising campaign

campaign

2 of 2

verb

campaigned; campaigning; campaigns

intransitive verb

: to go on, engage in, or conduct a campaign

campaigned for the presidency

transitive verb

: to enter (something, such as a horse or boat) in competition

… was at that time campaigning a big steeplechase stable …

—A. H. Higginson

campaigner noun

Synonyms of campaign

Noun

• movement
• crusade
• push

Examples of campaign in a Sentence

Noun

The group launched a campaign to protect the area from commercial development.

The university is organizing a campaign to attract a more diverse student population.

Verb

She campaigned to save the town library.

He campaigned hard to get more funding.

a time when women were campaigning for the right to vote

I campaigned for her when she ran for governor.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Questions about his growing wealth During the midterms, Democrats sought to make the president’s personal wealth a campaign issue. — Mike Catalini, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2026

Cui's arrest is the latest case in Chinese President Xi Jinping's long-running campaign to tighten control over religion to ensure all groups of faith abide by Communist Party rule. — ABC News, 9 Nov. 2026

Verb

Candidates backed by the CTU campaigned against school closures and a push for full state funding, which currently hovers at 70% under Illinois’ funding formula. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026

Few, if any, of the candidates said a substantive word about it while campaigning. — Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French campagne, probably from Italian campagna level country, campaign, from Late Latin campania level country, from Latin, the level country around Naples

Verb

derivative of campaign entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1645, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1692, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing campaign

• campaign button
• campaign for
• campaign trail
• counter-campaign
• whispering campaign

Rhymes for campaign

• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• blockchain
• butane
• cetane

Kids Definition

campaign

noun

cam·​paign

kam-ˈpān

1

: a series of military operations in a particular area or for a particular purpose as part of a war

2

: a connected series of activities designed to bring about a particular result

an election campaign

campaign verb

campaigner noun