campaign

American  

[kam-peyn] / kæmˈpeɪn /

noun

1. the competition by rival political candidates and organizations for public office.

2. a systematic course of aggressive activities for some specific purpose.

   a sales campaign.

   Synonyms:

   offensive, push, effort, drive

3. Military.

   1. military operations for a specific objective.

   2. Obsolete. the military operations of an army in the field for one season.

4. a story in a role-playing game, spread out over multiple play sessions, that usually keeps the same plot, setting, or main characters.

   Last week we finished our campaign and I already miss it.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to serve in or go on a campaign.

   He planned to campaign for the candidate.

   My daughter has been campaigning for a later curfew for months.

verb (used with object)

1. to race (a horse, boat, car, etc.) in a number or series of competitions.

campaign British  

/ kæmˈpeɪn /

noun

1. a series of coordinated activities, such as public speaking and demonstrating, designed to achieve a social, political, or commercial goal

   a presidential campaign

   an advertising campaign

2. military a number of complementary operations aimed at achieving a single objective, usually constrained by time or geographic area

---

verb

1. to conduct, serve in, or go on a campaign

Other Word Forms

• campaigner noun
• countercampaign noun
• precampaign noun
• recampaign verb
• uncampaigning adjective

Etymology

Origin of campaign

First recorded in 1620–30; from French campagne, from Italian campagna, from Late Latin campānia “level district,” equivalent to Latin camp(us) “field” + -ān(us) -an + -ia -ia

Example Sentences

But also key to his campaign is stabilizing an insurance market that over the last several years has seen insurers drop policyholders by the hundreds of thousands, especially in fire-prone neighborhoods.

From Los Angeles Times

Gonzales’ campaign, lawyer and representatives in his office did not respond earlier Thursday to requests for comment.

From Salon

Spurs, who finished 17th last season, have been in the top flight of English football in every campaign since one year in the old Second Division in 1977-78.

From BBC

And this is where the nerves and the past play into the current narrative that Arsenal are wobbling, having finished second in the last three campaigns, twice to City and last season to Liverpool.

From BBC

Despite a stuttering group campaign, Brook's side are returning to the venue where they swept a T20 series against Sri Lanka 3-0 this month on the eve of the T20 World Cup.

From Barron's

Related Words

• crusade
• drive
• fight
• movement
• offensive
• operation
• push