1
: a rotating or sliding piece (such as an eccentric wheel or a cylinder with an irregular shape) in a mechanical linkage used especially in transforming rotary motion into linear motion or vice versa
2
: camshaft
an engine with a single overhead cam
: camera
especially
: video camera
1
computer-aided manufacturing
2
complementary and alternative medicine
Examples of cam in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Melina Khan, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025
Police body-cam footage is used to show how a neighborhood feud escalated into violence in the new trailer for The Perfect Neighbor, premiering exclusively on Rolling Stone.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
Perhaps the most famous spot is Brooks Falls, where millions watch a popular Brook Falls bear cam livestream, while thousands of others make a pilgrimage to the famous spot themselves.
—Robert Annis, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
The officers entered the apartment, and Rozario at one point grabbed a pair of scissors from a chair in the kitchen and ran at the officers, as his mother, Notan Ava Costa, tried to restrain him, according to police body cam footage.
—Mason Leath, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cam
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Noun
Coldplay concert kiss cam couple Couples looking for a cheekier viral moment to recreate can opt for the concert cam seen around the world.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025
Police body-cam footage is used to show how a neighborhood feud escalated into violence in the new trailer for The Perfect Neighbor, premiering exclusively on Rolling Stone.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
Perhaps the most famous spot is Brooks Falls, where millions watch a popular Brook Falls bear cam livestream, while thousands of others make a pilgrimage to the famous spot themselves.
—Robert Annis, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
The officers entered the apartment, and Rozario at one point grabbed a pair of scissors from a chair in the kitchen and ran at the officers, as his mother, Notan Ava Costa, tried to restrain him, according to police body cam footage.
—Mason Leath, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cam
Cite this Entry
“Cam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cam. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cam
1 of 2 noun
: a device by which circular motion may be transformed into stop-and-start or back-and-forth motion
cam
2 of 2 nounEtymology
Noun
perhaps from French came "cam," from German Kamm, literally, "comb"
Medical Definition
CAM
abbreviation2
complementary and alternative medicine
According to a 2002 survey by the National Center for Health Statistics, 36 percent of adults in the United States used some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), including naturopathy, relaxation techniques, chiropractic, yoga, massage, and diets.—In-Sung Yoo, The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware)
In-Sung Yoo, The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware)Geographical Definition
Cam
geographical name
river 40 miles (64 kilometers) long in Cambridgeshire, east central England, flowing into the Ouse River
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