decamp

verb

de·​camp di-ˈkamp How to pronounce decamp (audio)
dē-
decamped; decamping; decamps

intransitive verb

1
: to break up a camp
2
: to depart suddenly : abscond
decampment noun

Examples of decamp in a Sentence

She took the papers and decamped. He decamped to Europe soon after news of the scandal broke.
Recent Examples on the Web In the tech world, some of the venture capitalists and founders who decamped to Miami and Austin, hailing them as the new hotspots for startups, are slinking back to San Francisco, enticed by the local boom in artificial intelligence companies. Kate Talerico, Orange County Register, 11 Mar. 2024 Designers including Harris Reed, Charlie Casely-Hayford, and Molly Goddard brushed shoulders with It-Brits like Jourdan Dunn and Alexa Chung along with runway regulars who had decamped to London for the occasion, from Precious Lee to Kaia Gerber. Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 19 Feb. 2024 Featured in the exhibition, Du was one of the first wave of designers to decamp to the fashion capital. Gemma A. Williams, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 In 2020, Swisher decamped for Washington, D.C., for a change of scenery. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024 Hyatt decamped to Nevada, which does not levy income tax. K. Lloyd Billingsley, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 After Palestinian refugee camps in Syria were caught up in the fighting and many Palestinians killed, Hamas’s leaders decamped to Qatar and Turkey—the states that were the chief backers of the Sunni rebel groups that were seeking to overthrow the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Toby Matthiesen, Foreign Affairs, 9 Feb. 2024 Ever since the Quebec Nordiques decamped in 1995, leaving a hole in the Francophone city, vote-seeking officials have vowed to bring them back. Norimitsu Onishi, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2024 Carter Cash was determined to find her own way, decamping to Manhattan to study acting under Sandy Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theater. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 16 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decamp.' 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

French décamper, from Middle French descamper, from des- de- + camper to camp

First Known Use

1676, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of decamp was in 1676

Dictionary Entries Near decamp

Cite this Entry

“Decamp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decamp. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

decamp

verb
de·​camp di-ˈkamp How to pronounce decamp (audio)
1
: to pack up gear and leave a camp
2
: to depart suddenly : abscond
decamped with the funds
decampment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on decamp

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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