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
Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 19 May 2024
Shop the deal here at Amazon or get the security cam deal at Target.
—Tim Chan, Variety, 19 May 2024
Diddy’s alleged ‘mule’ arrested at Miami airport, new body cam footage reveals
Paul, 25, was charged with cocaine possession and later pleaded not guilty.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 17 May 2024
Park officials did not identify the person but an 11-minute dash cam video reported by Outside Magazine may have shown those responsible for knocking the tower down.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2024
When an Arlington police officer accidentally shot and killed a woman while aiming at her dog during a welfare check in 2019, then Deputy Chief Christopher Cook advised his superior to not wait to release the body cam footage.
—Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 May 2024
In the body cam footage of the rescue, Officer Speer spots the missing woman after Mercury finds her and comforts her with good news.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 8 May 2024
Co-created by a pediatrician, the cam is extremely user-friendly.
—Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 4 May 2024
Using police reports, traffic cams and hospital records, dispatcher Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) pieced together that her fiancé contracted viral encephalitis on the job, swelling his brain with potentially fatal consequences.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
Noun
No body cam footage of Scottie Scheffler's arrest, Mayor Greenberg says
Reporter Krista Johnson contributed reporting.
—Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 19 May 2024
Shop the deal here at Amazon or get the security cam deal at Target.
—Tim Chan, Variety, 19 May 2024
Diddy’s alleged ‘mule’ arrested at Miami airport, new body cam footage reveals
Paul, 25, was charged with cocaine possession and later pleaded not guilty.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 17 May 2024
Park officials did not identify the person but an 11-minute dash cam video reported by Outside Magazine may have shown those responsible for knocking the tower down.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2024
When an Arlington police officer accidentally shot and killed a woman while aiming at her dog during a welfare check in 2019, then Deputy Chief Christopher Cook advised his superior to not wait to release the body cam footage.
—Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 May 2024
In the body cam footage of the rescue, Officer Speer spots the missing woman after Mercury finds her and comforts her with good news.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 8 May 2024
Co-created by a pediatrician, the cam is extremely user-friendly.
—Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 4 May 2024
Using police reports, traffic cams and hospital records, dispatcher Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) pieced together that her fiancé contracted viral encephalitis on the job, swelling his brain with potentially fatal consequences.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cam.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cam
Cite this Entry
“Cam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cam. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
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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