Machinery. a disk or cylinder having an irregular form such that its motion, usually rotary, gives to a part or parts in contact with it a specific rocking or reciprocating motion.
Automotive Slang. camshaft.
complementary and alternative medicine
computer-aided manufacture
botany crassulacean acid metabolism: a form of photosynthesis, first described in crassulaceous plants, in which carbon dioxide is taken up only at night
Cameroon (international car registration)
< Dutch or Low German kam, kamm. See comb
First recorded in 1975–80; shortening of camera 1 ( def. )
First recorded in 1965–70
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A bald eagle rescued near Big Bear over the weekend is likely Jackie, one-half of the beloved pair featured in a longtime nest livestream, according to the wildlife nonprofit behind the cam.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
On June 19, the police department released body cam videos from the officers involved in the incident, though an internal investigation remains ongoing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
Reed is not against using AI to help with applications as it's a "wonderful tool" that cam improve your application.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Dorset's much-loved ospreys are incubating another bumper clutch of four eggs and all eyes are on their nest cam, waiting for the first chick to appear.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
Iron rod threaded through three rusted loops, old mortise lock with a rusty cam.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
CAMBRIDGE, England—Every summer, students here line up in dozens of boats, wait for a cannon to fire, then pelt around the narrow bends of the River Cam trying to smash the crew in front.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
So, he invested his own money to build a container terminal in Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Bay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Joshua Hall was 17 when he was killed in Cam, near Dursley, in 2020.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
The stream — called the Kornacki Cam — provides unadulterated number-crunching without any pundits weighing in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
“They didn’t have no fighting around Cam Ranh Bay,” was the answer.
From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers
Do not visit a CAM practitioner instead of seeing your GP.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2024
Female evaluators judged those with skewed downward gazes more harshly than male evaluators, and the difference in the evaluation of the CAM and SKW stimuli for female interviewees was larger than the male interviewees.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2024
CAM is what makes the Western militaries so good, it was designed with the Soviet military approach in mind.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2023
CAM includes components like processed nickel, lithium and other materials that make up about 40% of the cost of a battery, the industry ministry said in a statement.
From Reuters ● May 29, 2023
The clumsy signature CAM was probably intended for Campi, the real author, and its genuineness is not above suspicion.
From Giorgione by Cook, Herbert
Fitzpatrick echoed those sentiments, saying: "I love Cam. He's such a nice guy. He's so laid back. I knew we were going to have a good day, and it was."
From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2026
“Hope the best for Cam. Obviously, had some great times with him, some great memories with him as well, but excited for Kyren.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2023
“I fully trust Cam. Cam has the keys to the car,” Dickert said.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 4, 2022
"I wanted to set it up for Cam. All the pressure is on the other guy to get it to 1-1 and that was my job."
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2021
“I don’t know though, Cam. You think you can keep your speed without Lindsey one lane over?”
From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth
Some of their protection is pre-place bolts, but some is “traditional” gear — like self camming devices and passive protection such as “nuts.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 14, 2015
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.
