often attributive
1
a
: a place usually away from urban areas where tents or simple buildings (such as cabins) are erected for shelter or for temporary residence (as for laborers, prisoners, or vacationers)
migrant labor camp
b
: a group of tents, cabins, or huts
fishing camps along the river
c
: a settlement newly sprung up in a lumbering or mining region
d
: a place usually in the country for recreation or instruction often during the summer
goes to camp every July
also
: a program offering access to recreational or educational facilities for a limited period of time
computer camp
a resort offering boating and hiking camps
e
: a preseason training session for athletes
the star pitcher injured in camp this spring
2
a
: a body of persons encamped
b(1)
: a group of persons
especially
: a group engaged in promoting or defending a theory, doctrine, position, or person
(2)
: an ideological position
3
: military service or life
camped; camping; camps
1
: to make camp or occupy a camp
2
: to live temporarily in a camp or outdoors
—often used with out
3
: to take up one's quarters : lodge
4
: to take up one's position : settle down
—often used with out
camp out in the library for the afternoon
: to put into a camp
also
: accommodate
1
a
: something so outrageously artificial, affected, inappropriate, or out-of-date as to be considered amusing
This version of the play is camp: outrageous in concept and wild in its execution with double entendres flying every which way.
b
: a style or mode of personal or creative expression that is absurdly exaggerated and often fuses elements of high and popular culture
a movie that celebrates camp
2
: exaggerated effeminate mannerisms (as of speech or gesture)
camped; camping; camps
: to engage in camp : exhibit the qualities of camp
he … was camping, hands on hips, with a quick eye to notice every man who passed by—
R. M. McAlmon
R. M. McAlmon
Synonyms
Examples of camp in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebSufian Taha, Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2023
While television broadcasts the official viewpoint, Gao says that on Douyin there are often videos from different camps putting their views across.
—Lavender Au, WIRED, 25 Nov. 2023
Screen Time: 7:24 Verdict: Mulligan’s kooky cameo imbues this tragic lush with a dash of camp.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 24 Nov. 2023
Ten women hold full-season coaching positions, the most in history, and 11 clubs had women in coaching roles during training camp this summer, another high.
—Tom Withers, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Nov. 2023
Always before, our hunters have left quietly, in perfect chronology, as orderly as children filing out to playground recess, one at a time, each successive oldest passing through that door—as if leaving the camp house to go look around for something; one more hunt and then not coming back.
—Rick Bass, Field & Stream, 22 Nov. 2023
Donna made several appearances leading up to Monday's game, including stops at Raising Cane's and Kylie's field hockey camp for Kansas City kids on Sunday.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023
Israeli troops pushed up to the camp’s edge and launched at least one drone strike inside, killing three people, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
—Susannah George, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023
The Jane Does attended a court hearing in Los Angeles on Monday, where Judge Charlaine Olmedo gave Masterson’s camp until December 7 to provide proof the weapons have been found and secured.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2023
Anat Peled, WSJ, 22 Nov. 2023
Homeless people camp nearby and light fires to keep warm.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
That morning, three homeless people were camped in front of his parents’ house on Magnolia.
—Jesse Barron, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023
Some Trump supporters had camped out more than a day in advance outside the venue, waving at honking commuters passing by.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 9 Nov. 2023
His seventy-three thousand troops were camped on a ridge near a tavern called La Belle Alliance.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
According to the Herald, people at Mass and Cass will be offered a ride to temporary housing, but will not be allowed to camp there any longer.
—Brianna Herlihy, Fox News, 31 Oct. 2023
The couple regularly sees migrants camping on their 17-acre property.
—Jon Michael Raasch Fox News, Fox News, 13 Nov. 2023
The practice, which involves camping out in front of a bright lamp for half an hour or so, can help your body adjust to the reduced daylight in the fall and winter months, all while combating sleepiness and fatigue by suppressing melatonin (a hormone that promotes sleep), according to Dr. Chan.
—Julia Ries, SELF, 3 Nov. 2023
Stephanie Stradley, Chron, 9 Sep. 2022
Last season, Avery Bradley and Langston Galloway earned training camp invites through these pre-camp scrimmages.
—C.j. Holmes, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Sep. 2022
In September, during the Warriors’ two-week mini-camp, civil-rights lawyer Brian Stevenson spoke to players on a video call.
—Ron Kroichick, SFChronicle.com, 30 Oct. 2020
However, this week marks the beginning of three weeks of activities agreed upon by the NBA and the National Basketball Player’s Association to create a mini-camp (or mini-bubble), which can include practices and scrimmages, for the eight teams not invited to the NBA’s restart in Orlando.
—Jamal Collier, chicagotribune.com, 16 Sep. 2020
And the Rattlers made a big pre-camp trade to acquire first-team All-IFL 6-foot-5, 320-pound defensive lineman Ulric Jones from the NAZ Wranglers.
—Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, 9 Mar. 2023
The team began last week with one player and one coach per basket at pre-camp practices before being allowed to expand workouts this weekend.
—oregonlive, 6 Dec. 2020
Jefferies is filling in for Frankie Montas, behind due to a pre-camp coronavirus bout.
—Matt Kawahara, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2021
Heidi Klum's ultra-camp departure from her usual pop-culture prosthetics (see: Michael Jackson's werewolf or Shrek's Fiona).
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2022
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Noun
In homes across the Balata refugee camp, televisions broadcast images of the bloodshed in Gaza that had cleared the way for her release.
—Sufian Taha, Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2023
While television broadcasts the official viewpoint, Gao says that on Douyin there are often videos from different camps putting their views across.
—Lavender Au, WIRED, 25 Nov. 2023
Screen Time: 7:24 Verdict: Mulligan’s kooky cameo imbues this tragic lush with a dash of camp.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 24 Nov. 2023
Ten women hold full-season coaching positions, the most in history, and 11 clubs had women in coaching roles during training camp this summer, another high.
—Tom Withers, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Nov. 2023
Always before, our hunters have left quietly, in perfect chronology, as orderly as children filing out to playground recess, one at a time, each successive oldest passing through that door—as if leaving the camp house to go look around for something; one more hunt and then not coming back.
—Rick Bass, Field & Stream, 22 Nov. 2023
Donna made several appearances leading up to Monday's game, including stops at Raising Cane's and Kylie's field hockey camp for Kansas City kids on Sunday.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023
Israeli troops pushed up to the camp’s edge and launched at least one drone strike inside, killing three people, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
—Susannah George, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023
The Jane Does attended a court hearing in Los Angeles on Monday, where Judge Charlaine Olmedo gave Masterson’s camp until December 7 to provide proof the weapons have been found and secured.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2023
Verb
Unlike most other families of hostages, Guy Metzger and his brother are camping out in a protest tent in Jerusalem calling for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take responsibility for the Hamas attack and resign.
—Anat Peled, WSJ, 22 Nov. 2023
Homeless people camp nearby and light fires to keep warm.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
That morning, three homeless people were camped in front of his parents’ house on Magnolia.
—Jesse Barron, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023
Some Trump supporters had camped out more than a day in advance outside the venue, waving at honking commuters passing by.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 9 Nov. 2023
His seventy-three thousand troops were camped on a ridge near a tavern called La Belle Alliance.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
According to the Herald, people at Mass and Cass will be offered a ride to temporary housing, but will not be allowed to camp there any longer.
—Brianna Herlihy, Fox News, 31 Oct. 2023
The couple regularly sees migrants camping on their 17-acre property.
—Jon Michael Raasch Fox News, Fox News, 13 Nov. 2023
The practice, which involves camping out in front of a bright lamp for half an hour or so, can help your body adjust to the reduced daylight in the fall and winter months, all while combating sleepiness and fatigue by suppressing melatonin (a hormone that promotes sleep), according to Dr. Chan.
—Julia Ries, SELF, 3 Nov. 2023
Adjective
Training camp looked like a professional camp, and the camp, and post-camp choices by the team mostly made sense without much outside talk or justification necessary.
—Stephanie Stradley, Chron, 9 Sep. 2022
Last season, Avery Bradley and Langston Galloway earned training camp invites through these pre-camp scrimmages.
—C.j. Holmes, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Sep. 2022
In September, during the Warriors’ two-week mini-camp, civil-rights lawyer Brian Stevenson spoke to players on a video call.
—Ron Kroichick, SFChronicle.com, 30 Oct. 2020
However, this week marks the beginning of three weeks of activities agreed upon by the NBA and the National Basketball Player’s Association to create a mini-camp (or mini-bubble), which can include practices and scrimmages, for the eight teams not invited to the NBA’s restart in Orlando.
—Jamal Collier, chicagotribune.com, 16 Sep. 2020
And the Rattlers made a big pre-camp trade to acquire first-team All-IFL 6-foot-5, 320-pound defensive lineman Ulric Jones from the NAZ Wranglers.
—Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, 9 Mar. 2023
The team began last week with one player and one coach per basket at pre-camp practices before being allowed to expand workouts this weekend.
—oregonlive, 6 Dec. 2020
Jefferies is filling in for Frankie Montas, behind due to a pre-camp coronavirus bout.
—Matt Kawahara, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2021
Heidi Klum's ultra-camp departure from her usual pop-culture prosthetics (see: Michael Jackson's werewolf or Shrek's Fiona).
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'camp.' 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) and Verb (1)
Middle French, probably from Middle French dialect (Picard) or Old Occitan, from Latin campus plain, field
Noun (2), Adjective, and Verb (2)
origin unknown
First Known Use
Noun (1)
1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb (1)
1543, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun (2)
circa 1909, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Adjective
1909, in the meaning defined above
Verb (2)
1910, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing camp
Dictionary Entries Near camp
Cite this Entry
“Camp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/camp. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
camp
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a place usually away from cities where tents or buildings are erected for shelter or for living in temporarily
b
: a group of tents, cabins, or huts
c
: a tent or cabin to be lived in temporarily (as during vacation)
d
: a place usually in the country for recreation or instruction often during the summer
summer camp
also
: a program offering access to recreational or educational facilities for a limited period of time
a resort offering boating and hiking camps
computer camp
2
: a body of persons in a camp
camp
2 of 2 verb1
: to make or occupy a camp
2
: to live in a camp or outdoors
camp out overnight
Medical Definition
cAMP
abbreviation
cyclic AMP
Biographical Definition
More from Merriam-Webster on camp
Nglish: Translation of camp for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of camp for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about camp
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