camp follower
noun
1
: a civilian (such as a prostitute) who follows a military unit to attend or exploit military personnel
2
: a disciple or follower who is not of the main body of members or adherents
especially
: a politician who joins the party or movement solely for personal gain
Examples of camp follower in a Sentence
the famous boxer and his camp followers
Recent Examples on the Web
The women in the sketch were part of a controversial group known as camp followers: wives, widows, runaways and others who marched with the Continental Army.
—
Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Mar. 2024
Republican politicians have been calling on Biden to curb inflation, but there isn’t much a president can really do except raise taxes, which of course the GOP and their Democratic camp follower Joe Manchin oppose.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 27 July 2022
As an insurgent, Mr. Trump arrived in Washington without the camp followers of brand-name lobbyists and insiders who set up shop with each new administration.
—New York Times, 8 Dec. 2019
There’s the near-noirish play between dark and light captured by Tripe in an Indian temple or the Yvonne De Carlo expression (speaking of almost noirish) on the face of a camp follower in a Fenton Crimean War photograph.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 6 July 2018
Her mother, Sophie Delaborde, the daughter of a bird seller on the Rue de Rivoli, was a camp follower of the Napoleonic troops in Madrid.
—Benita Eisler, WSJ, 8 June 2018
The trio of revisionist powers includes Russia, China and Iran, along with camp followers like Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea and Syria.
—Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 19 Mar. 2018
Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Mar. 2024
Republican politicians have been calling on Biden to curb inflation, but there isn’t much a president can really do except raise taxes, which of course the GOP and their Democratic camp follower Joe Manchin oppose.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 27 July 2022
As an insurgent, Mr. Trump arrived in Washington without the camp followers of brand-name lobbyists and insiders who set up shop with each new administration.
—New York Times, 8 Dec. 2019
There’s the near-noirish play between dark and light captured by Tripe in an Indian temple or the Yvonne De Carlo expression (speaking of almost noirish) on the face of a camp follower in a Fenton Crimean War photograph.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 6 July 2018
Her mother, Sophie Delaborde, the daughter of a bird seller on the Rue de Rivoli, was a camp follower of the Napoleonic troops in Madrid.
—Benita Eisler, WSJ, 8 June 2018
The trio of revisionist powers includes Russia, China and Iran, along with camp followers like Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea and Syria.
—Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 19 Mar. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'camp follower.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1784, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near camp follower
Cite this Entry
“Camp follower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/camp%20follower. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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