boot camp

American  

noun

U.S. Navy, Marines.

1. a camp for training recruits.

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boot camp British  

noun

1. slang a basic training camp for new recruits to the US Navy or Marine Corps

2. a centre for juvenile offenders, with a strict disciplinary regime, hard physical exercise, and community labour programmes

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Etymology

Origin of boot camp

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

Example Sentences

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

Rush also 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 • Dec. 18, 2025

Everybody in Cam’s platoon has something to prove or an internalized inadequacy to overcome, which is what drew him to boot camp, too.

From Salon • Oct. 10, 2025

“Cameron is not the only one hiding something, and boot camp is the place that forces everyone to confront who they are and who they want to become.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2025

After boot camp, Kelley had been trained as an infantry medic.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge