camper

American  

[kam-per] / ˈkæm pər /

noun

1. a person who camps out for recreation, especially in the wilderness.

2. a person who attends a summer camp or day camp.

3. Also called pickup camper, truck camper.  a trucklike vehicle, van, or trailer that is fitted or suitable for recreational camping, or a pickup truck on which a structure fitted for camping is mounted.

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verb (used without object)

1. to travel and live in a vehicular camper.

   We're going to camper for two weeks during our vacation.

camper British  

/ ˈkæmpə /

noun

1. a person who lives or temporarily stays in a tent, cabin, etc

2. a vehicle equipped for camping out

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Etymology

Origin of camper

1625–35; 1960–65 camper for def. 3; camp ¹ + -er ¹

Explanation

Anyone who regularly hikes into the woods, pitches a tent, and spends the night under the stars, snuggled into a sleeping bag, is a camper. People who go camping are campers, whether they sleep under the stars, in a cabin, or in a fancy Winnebago. And if you do have a recreational vehicle, you can say you're a camper who sleeps in your camper! The common colloquial phrase happy camper was coined in the 1980s: when you're a happy camper, you're as content as a kid who's having a blast at summer camp, paddling canoes on the lake and eating s'mores by the fire.

Example Sentences

That guy wasn’t a permitted camper, insisted Gil.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

She and A$AP Rocky, 37 years old, were inside an Airstream camper on their property at the time of the shooting, Hochman said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

The former actor Leo Grillo met the man in a camper at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

Jo said, despite the challenges of living in the camper, the community of Liverpool had been "fantastic".

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026

It would be difficult enough to get Abby back to the camper without her walker; it would be disastrous to go in the wrong direction.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret