camp out

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

camp out

Caniacs, as they are called, camp out overnight and cause traffic pileups at new locations.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

"I was literally in my back garden in London. I'd basically camp out and wait for whatever it was to come into the garden," he says.

From BBC ● Jan. 19, 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

Other times, rich people sailed up from Newport to Gull Island, which was right alongside Penikese, to camp out in the “wilderness” for a night or two.

From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk

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