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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)
  1. 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.
  2. 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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Origin of camp

1
First 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

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

2
First 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)

cAMP
[ kamp ]
/ kæmp /

noun Biochemistry.
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, noun

Word 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
  1. to seek to focus attention on oneself by making an ostentatious display, overacting, etc
  2. 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.
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