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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.


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.

The global media camped out, and it sometimes seemed like they never would leave.

From Los Angeles Times

She explains that the night prior, she had camped out late in the studio working with the Underdogs, the producing duo responsible for much of Chris Brown and Azealia Banks’ early sounds.

From Los Angeles Times

Multiplexes continue to struggle as audiences remain camped out in their living rooms and theater-to-streaming windows narrow.

From Salon

They camped out in various bureaucracies, literally sleeping in the office and having food delivered.

From The Wall Street Journal

But camped out at the hall in this ex-coal mining town, known for its cheese, was a throng of journalists and photographers from London – a rare sight for an election to the Welsh Parliament.

From BBC