decamp

verb

de·​camp di-ˈkamp 

dē-

decamped; decamping; decamps

intransitive verb

1

: to break up a camp

2

: to depart suddenly : abscond

decampment

di-ˈkamp-mənt 

dē-

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

With another lawmaker decamping from the Conservatives, the Liberals would have 171 Members of Parliament in the House of Commons. —ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026

In the years that followed—‘til 1964 when army HQ decamped to the Ministry of Defence across the way—between 2500 and 3000 army and civil service personnel surged the two and a half miles of corridors on a daily basis. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Apr. 2026

With the Sundance Film Festival decamping from Park City, Utah, next year, Olympian Shaun White is sliding onto the mountain with his halfpipe snowboarding and freeskiing tournament, The Snow League. —Angelique Jackson, Variety, 31 Mar. 2026

Secrets decamps to one of the lobby bars. —Rob Crilly, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2026

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

Rhymes for decamp

• encamp
• headlamp
• preamp
• revamp
• timestamp
• amp
• champ
• clamp
• cramp
• damp
• gamp
• lamp

Kids Definition

decamp

verb

de·​camp di-ˈkamp 

1

: to pack up gear and leave a camp

2

: to depart suddenly : abscond

decamped with the funds

decampment

-mənt 

noun