campaign
Americannoun
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campaigns
plural
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the competition by rival political candidates and organizations for public office.
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a systematic course of aggressive activities for some specific purpose.
a sales campaign.
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Military.
-
military operations for a specific objective.
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Obsolete. the military operations of an army in the field for one season.
-
-
a story in a role-playing game, spread out over multiple play sessions, that usually keeps the same plot, setting, or main characters.
Last week we finished our campaign and I already miss it.
verb (used without object)
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campaigns,
present (3rd person singular)
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campaigned,
past participle, past
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campaigning
present participle
verb (used with object)
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campaigns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
campaigned,
past participle, past
-
campaigning
present participle
noun
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a series of coordinated activities, such as public speaking and demonstrating, designed to achieve a social, political, or commercial goal
a presidential campaign
an advertising campaign
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military a number of complementary operations aimed at achieving a single objective, usually constrained by time or geographic area
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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campaignsimple
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campaignssimple
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have campaignedperfect
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has campaignedperfect
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am campaigningprogressive
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are campaigningprogressive
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is campaigningprogressive
-
have been campaigningperfect progressive
-
has been campaigningperfect progressive
Past
-
campaignedsimple
-
had campaignedperfect
-
was campaigningprogressive
-
were campaigningprogressive
-
had been campaigningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of campaign
First recorded in 1620–30; from French campagne, from Italian campagna, from Late Latin campānia “level district,” equivalent to Latin camp(us) “field” + -ān(us) -an + -ia -ia
Explanation
A campaign is any series of actions or events that are meant to achieve a particular result, like an advertising campaign of television commercials and Internet ads that tries to convince kids to buy bubble gum-flavored toothpaste. The noun campaign describes any group of actions that are done with an ultimate purpose in mind. The goal of a political campaign is to put a candidate in office. The goal of a military campaign might be to take over a city, as in General Sherman's Civil War campaign to capture Atlanta. Campaign can also be used as a verb, like when an environmental organization campaigns to prevent a developer from building a shopping mall by asking people to sign petitions and soliciting their members of congress.
Vocabulary lists containing campaign
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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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.
See Examples For:
As the verdict was read out, there was silence from family members and supporters in court who wore yellow t-shirts and badges, the colour of their campaign, AFP reported.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
The global star appeared in a stylish black-and-white video for the retail chain's part-time worker recruitment campaign and can be seen performing tasks typically set out for staff working at the franchise.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Rove served as a senior advisor and deputy chief of staff during George W. Bush’s presidency, in which he was described as “the architect” of Bush’s re-election campaign.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
The Astros are the first squad ever to advance to the playoffs in an uninterrupted campaign despite failing to win more than they lost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Throughout the Normandy campaign, the tenacity and ferocity of the SS-HJ division astounded the Allies, who had once called them the “Baby Milk Division,” due to their young age.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Rove has also been credited for the successful campaigns of Sens. John Ashcroft, R-Mo.,
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Since their return from the Championship, no club has racked up more regular-season Prem points over the last five campaigns than Saracens.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
After longtime members of Rose Tattoo died from various forms of cancer, Anderson became an advocate for men’s health and conducted campaigns to raise awareness about prostate cancer in 2007.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
The nation’s top health agencies have halted multimillion-dollar campaigns urging Americans to get vaccinated against flu and other respiratory viruses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
In the recorded annals of puffin military campaigns, never did a puffin march into battle with such dignified grit.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Together they became a power duo who campaigned to build a home for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which three decades later led to the Music Center.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
In his first on-the-record interview about his rocky 33 months running Disney, Chapek said Bob Iger campaigned to undermine him and eventually reclaim the helm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Ratcliffe campaigned for a Leave vote in the 2016 European Union referendum and has been a tax resident in Monaco since 2020.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Diana Defries, who successfully campaigned for a state apology for forced adoptions, said greater access to records could help families understand what happened in the homes.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
In their view, the man had campaigned his horse too conservatively.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Nearby is a popular swimming spot at Conham River Park where there has been years of campaigning to protect the Avon from pollution, most recently with a charter of rights for the river.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Nance, a lawyer who regularly posts pictures of his favorite meat dishes on Instagram, is definitely in a minority in a heavily vegetarian movement, but says it's worth campaigning for.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
The mayor’s contest has been called a “knife fight” for its no-holds-barred campaigning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Back in 2008, Ma Ying-jeou won Taiwan’s presidential election after campaigning on improving economic and political relations with Beijing.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
I could treat campaigning like a hobby, picking it up when it was convenient, having some fun with it, and then getting back to my own work.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
