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

That includes eight-year-old Shannon Elizabeth of El Paso, Texas, who hopes to sell enough inventory to go to Girl Scout summer camp—an expense that would otherwise be out of her family’s budget. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 7 Aug. 2026

In 2006, federal prosecutors say, Hart was convicted of secretly installing a hidden camera in a girls’ locker room at a summer camp. — Sean Emery, Oc Register, 7 Aug. 2026

The Franklins lovingly brought structure and discipline, requiring kids to go to church and summer camps, volunteer, and participate in sports. — Sharon Chin, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026

In this instance, the image of a friendship bracelet, which is associated with Swift’s fans, was more about an activity that can take place at summer camps. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 6 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