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camp out

Idioms

Sleep outdoors; also, stay somewhere for an unusually long time. For example, “We camped out in a field this night” (George Washington, Journal, March 18, 1748). In the early 1900s, the expression was extended to figurative uses, meaning simply “to stay somewhere for an unusually long time,” as in She camped out at the stage door, hoping for an autograph.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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camp out

Cycling fans from around the world camp out for days before the race.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

We arrive early and camp out at the back of a row of benches with a good view of the projector screen.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

As a fragile ceasefire holds, displaced Palestinian residents of Gaza City have returned to their homes only to find rubble, with many of them forced to camp out in makeshift shelters.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025

Abby and her loyal band of former Fireflies camp out in a mountain lodge near the Jackson, Wyoming fort where Joel lives.

From Salon ● Apr. 21, 2025

I got 63 kilometers before I had to camp out again.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023