camper

American  

[kam-per] / ˈkæm pər /

noun

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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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

When I was a camper at the same program I will be working at this summer, my life changed.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

He compared the difference between the ISS and the tiny Orion capsule as like going from a "six-bedroom house, like a mansion... to a camper van."

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

"If you invest in a motorhome or a camper, you should be prepared to do that and not just guerrilla park anywhere and everywhere," she added.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

That guy wasn’t a permitted camper, insisted Gil.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

She runs around the growing fire to the camper.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman