campaign
Americannoun
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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.
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military operations for a specific objective.
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Obsolete. the military operations of an army in the field for one season.
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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)
verb (used with object)
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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are campaigningprogressive
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am campaigningprogressive
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is campaigningprogressive
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have been campaigningperfect progressive
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has been campaigningperfect progressive
Past
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campaignedsimple
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had campaignedperfect
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was campaigningprogressive
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were campaigningprogressive
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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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I Am Malala
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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.
But the success of the campaign meant there was also funding to take the painting around the country in a purpose-built touring art gallery.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026
A "mapping" project published by campaign group everyone.AI ahead of the G7 meeting highlighted risks of "social replacement and emotional dependency" for teenagers using chatbots.
From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026
During the 2022 campaign to keep him at PSG, he took calls from not one, but two French presidents begging him to stay.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026
Some will carry large-scale banners inspired by Shepard Fairey’s Obey campaign and emblazoned with sociopolitical messages; others will hoist a disco ball shaped like the new museum.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
Vogue wanted Daoud in Libya next week for their "Urban Conflict" campaign.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
