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

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

Don’t camp out whilst you’s waiting; y’all needs to get the road outta your bones for long as you can.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis