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camp
1[ kamp ]
/ kæmp /
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noun
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
to put or station (troops) in a camp; shelter.
Digital Technology. (in a video game)
- to hunt or search for (an enemy or item) by maintaining a position where it is known to spawn: There were a couple of us camping a notorious monster for rare dropped items.
- to hide or take cover in (a relatively safe play area), often as part of an ambush strategy for attacking other characters: Camp a choke point like the bridge, or just hide in the bushes with a sniper rifle and you’ll be the last man standing.
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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
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Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of camp
1First recorded in 1520–30; from Middle French can, camp, originally dialect (Normandy, Picardy) or from Old Provençal, from Italian campo, from Latin campus “field, battlefield”; compare Old English campe, compe “battle, battlefield” (cognate with German Kampf “struggle”), from Germanic, from Latin
Words nearby camp
Other definitions for camp (2 of 4)
camp2
[ kamp ]
/ kæmp /
noun
something that provides irreverent or knowing amusement, as by virtue of its being theatrically stylized and extravagantly artificial, self-consciously artless, or ironically ingenuous.
a person who adopts a teasing, theatrical manner, especially for the amusement of others.
verb (used without object)
Also camp it up . to speak or behave in a coquettishly playful or extravagantly theatrical manner.
adjective
campy: camp Hollywood musicals of the 1940s.
Origin of camp
2First recorded in 1865–70 as campish; spelling camp dates to 1905–10; of uncertain origin; perhaps from French se camper “to pose, portray oneself”; perhaps dialectal camp “impetuous, uncouth person,” hence, “slightly objectionable, effeminate, gay”; in some senses probably special use of camp1 (in the sense “army camp”), where “camp followers,” a euphemism for prostitutes, were notorious for licentiousness
Other definitions for camp (3 of 4)
Camp
[ kamp ]
/ kæmp /
noun
Walter Chaun·cey [chawn-see, chahn-], /ˈtʃɔn si, ˈtʃɑn-/, 1859–1925, U.S. football coach and author.
Other definitions for camp (4 of 4)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use camp in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for camp (1 of 3)
camp1
/ (kæmp) /
noun
verb
Derived forms of camp
camping, nounWord Origin for camp
C16: from Old French, ultimately from Latin campus field
British Dictionary definitions for camp (2 of 3)
camp2
/ (kæmp) informal /
adjective
effeminate; affected in mannerisms, dress, etc
homosexual
consciously artificial, exaggerated, vulgar, or mannered; self-parodying, esp when in dubious taste
verb
(tr) to perform or invest with a camp quality
camp it up
- to seek to focus attention on oneself by making an ostentatious display, overacting, etc
- to flaunt one's homosexuality
noun
a camp quality, style, etc
Word Origin for camp
C20: of uncertain origin
British Dictionary definitions for camp (3 of 3)
Camp
/ (kæmp) /
noun
Walter (Chauncey). 1859–1925, US sportsman and administrator; he introduced new rules to American football, which distinguished it from rugby.
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Other Idioms and Phrases with camp
camp
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.