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

At Chico State, Matthew Hernandez, a senior computer science major, enrolled in both a computer science boot camp, funded through Destino, and a calculus boot camp in the summer before his freshman year.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

Oddly enough, the most effective sequences in “Beast of War” are on land—an Australian boot camp where, in 1942, soldiers are training, and characters are being developed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 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

And though military boot camp had been the model, it was arresting this time around to see how much it really was like prison.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover