summer camp

noun

plural summer camps

1

: a camp (see camp entry 1 sense 1d) for children or adolescents that operates during the summer and that often provides lodging for stays of days or weeks

… traditional summer camps—where your child rides a horse, paddles a canoe, reads a compass, and roasts s'mores around a campfire …

—David Lansing

… summer camp is about campfires, trail hikes and goofy skits. It's a chance to meet kids from different cities and to learn to sleep through the snores of cabin mates.

—Emily Seftel

also : such a camp that provides instruction of a specified kind

went to an arts summer camp

compare day camp

2

: an online usually educational program for children or adolescents offered during the summer

… a virtual summer camp offering free classes in everything from slime-making to dinosaurs to make-your-own Lego movies. Kids aged five through 18 can create their own schedule, with hour-long classes five days a week for each session.

—Lisa Milbrand

Examples of summer camp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Deep green walls, mustard accents, and natural wood create the feel of a high-end summer camp for grown-ups. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026

On the morning of July 6, a Tuesday, Brophy dropped her daughter off at summer camp in Oceanside, according to the Missing in America Network, a nonprofit that supports families of missing persons. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026

And as Jeon-Gi’s time at summer camp unfolds, the reader is made persistently aware of some fatal crisis to come. — Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026

In 2011 when the movie celebrated its 10th anniversary, Rudd told Entertainment Weekly that making the movie was just like summer camp. — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for summer camp

• firedamp
• amp
• champ
• clamp
• cramp
• damp
• gamp
• lamp
• ramp
• samp
• scamp
• stamp