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

She didn’t know it yet, but all that was left of her camper was its frame; it’s burned, twisted metal was another casualty of the L.A. wildfires.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

A year after a tree branch fell at a Calabasas summer camp and killed a camper, the child’s family has reached a settlement with three organizations totaling almost $20 million.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

They have slept since the fires in their camper van alongside their dog, Rocket.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

“I was not a happy camper that day,” Damon said in an interview.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

He hoped Jonathan had sense enough to wait in the camper.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

Over two days she taught four sessions to campers ages 13 to 15.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

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

The Ares campers developed a sudden interest in their combat boots.

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan