cam
1[ kam ]
/ kæm /
noun
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.
verb (used with object), cammed, cam·ming.
to provide (a machine part or mechanism) with a cam or cams.
QUIZZES
TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!
Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!
Question 1 of 10
Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.
Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.
It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.
It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUTOrigin of cam
1< Dutch or Low German kam, kamm. See comb1
Words nearby cam
calyx, calzaghe, calzone, calèche, caló, cam, cam follower, cam plant, cam ranh, cam ranh bay, cam wheel
Definition for cam (2 of 5)
cam2
[ kam ]
/ kæm /
noun
a camera, especially one that records video (often used in combination, as indigital cam; traffic cam; webcam):She's a professional photographer who uses state-of-the-art cams.
Origin of cam
2First recorded in 1975–80; shortening of camera1
Definition for cam (3 of 5)
Cam
[ kam ]
/ kæm /
noun
a river in E England flowing NE by Cambridge, into the Ouse River. 40 miles (64 km) long.
Also called Granta.
Definition for cam (4 of 5)
CAM
[ kam ]
/ kæm /
noun
computer-aided manufacturing.
Origin of CAM
First recorded in 1965–70
Definition for cam (5 of 5)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for cam
British Dictionary definitions for cam (1 of 3)
cam
/ (kæm) /
noun
a slider or roller attached to a rotating shaft to give a particular type of reciprocating motion to a part in contact with its profile
Word Origin for cam
C18: from Dutch kam comb
British Dictionary definitions for cam (2 of 3)
Cam
/ (kæm) /
noun
a river in E England, in Cambridgeshire, flowing through Cambridge to the River Ouse. Length: about 64 km (40 miles)
British Dictionary definitions for cam (3 of 3)
CAM
abbreviation for
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)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012