camper

American  

[kam-per] / ˈkæm pər /

noun

campers plural

1. a person who camps out for recreation, especially in the wilderness.

2. a person who attends a summer camp or day camp.

3. Also called pickup camper, truck camper.  a trucklike vehicle, van, or trailer that is fitted or suitable for recreational camping, or a pickup truck on which a structure fitted for camping is mounted.

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verb (used without object)

1. to travel and live in a vehicular camper.

   We're going to camper for two weeks during our vacation.

camper British  

/ ˈkæmpə /

noun

1. a person who lives or temporarily stays in a tent, cabin, etc

2. a vehicle equipped for camping out

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• campers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of camper

1625–35; 1960–65 camper for def. 3; camp ¹ + -er ¹

Explanation

Anyone who regularly hikes into the woods, pitches a tent, and spends the night under the stars, snuggled into a sleeping bag, is a camper. People who go camping are campers, whether they sleep under the stars, in a cabin, or in a fancy Winnebago. And if you do have a recreational vehicle, you can say you're a camper who sleeps in your camper! The common colloquial phrase happy camper was coined in the 1980s: when you're a happy camper, you're as content as a kid who's having a blast at summer camp, paddling canoes on the lake and eating s'mores by the fire.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

camper campers

During his trial in December 2005, the court heard Murdoch, who was then 43, pulled up beside their vehicle, claiming to have seen sparks coming from the camper van Falconio was driving.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Everink got into his camper van and drove south from Toronto, making stops in Detroit, Chicago and Indianapolis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Blue skies extended to the horizon, and a small colony of tents, camper vans and motorhomes sprawled out across the lush alfalfa fields.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

They initially traveled the country selling performance polos out of a camper van.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

When Mo left her to go and get their bags from the camper van Meggie went into the kitchen, but Dustfinger wasn't there either.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

Around 700 people left their homes as a precaution in Le Porge, where more than 3,000 campers were also relocated, the prefecture said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

The costs to hire staff, feed campers and maintain facilities have all become more expensive in recent years, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

She was unaware parking overnight was banned in the village's long-stay car park, and said not allowing campers to pay to stay in empty or quiet sites seemed "a bit daft".

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

And when the wind whips, the air reeks of a potent campfire — but no campers are around.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

“Some place where they don’t know us yet” As for Tyson, the campers treated him like a hero.

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan