boot camp
Americannoun
noun
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slang a basic training camp for new recruits to the US Navy or Marine Corps
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a centre for juvenile offenders, with a strict disciplinary regime, hard physical exercise, and community labour programmes
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of boot camp
An Americanism dating back to 1940–45
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One way to free up monthly cash flow is by adjusting how much you’re withholding in taxes, Joy, who runs the money boot camp “Crush Your Money Goals,” says.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026
He said he went from scoring 44/100 before the boot camp to a near perfect score by the end.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026
Rush, who lived in Rochdale, auditioned for ITV talent show The X Factor in 2016, and made it as far as the "six-chair challenge", the stage between boot camp and judges' houses.
From BBC • Jan. 22, 2026
He spent $17,000 on an 11-week coding boot camp.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025
“I saw a bunch of girls doing some kind of pageant boot camp after school.”
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
