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• camp
  camp

  noun

  a place where an army or other group of persons or an individual is lodged in a tent or tents or other temporary means of shelter.
• Camp
  Camp

  noun

  Walter Chauncey 1859–1925, U.S. football coach and author.
• cAMP
  cAMP

  noun

  cyclic AMP.

camp

¹ American  

[kamp] / kæmp /

noun

1. 

   a place where an army or other group of persons or an individual is lodged in a tent or tents or other temporary means of shelter.

2. such tents or shelters collectively.

   The regiment transported its camp in trucks.

3. the persons so sheltered.

   The camp slept through the storm.

4. the act of camping out.

   Camp is far more pleasant in summer than in winter.

5. any temporary structure, as a tent or cabin, used on an outing or vacation.

6. a group of troops, workers, etc., camping and moving together.

7. army life.

8. a group of people favoring the same ideals, doctrines, etc..

   Most American voters are divided into two camps, Republicans and Democrats.

9. any position in which ideals, doctrines, etc., are strongly entrenched.

   After considering the other side's argument, he changed camps.

10. a recreation area in the country, equipped with extensive facilities for sports.

11. day camp.

12. summer camp.

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verb (used without object)

1. to establish or pitch a camp.

   The army camped in the valley.

2. to live temporarily in or as if in a camp or outdoors, usually for recreation (often followed byout ).

   They camped by the stream for a week.

3. to reside or lodge somewhere temporarily or irregularly, especially in an apartment, room, etc..

   They camped in our apartment whenever they came to town.

4. to settle down securely and comfortably; become ensconced.

   The kids camped on our porch until the rain stopped.

5. to take up a position stubbornly.

   They camped in front of the president's office.

verb (used with object)

1. to put or station (troops) in a camp; shelter.

2. Digital Technology. (in a video game)

   1. to hunt or search for (an enemy or item) by maintaining a position where it is known to spawn.

      There were a couple of us camping a notorious monster for rare dropped items.

   2. to hide or take cover in (a relatively safe play area), often as part of an ambush strategy for attacking other characters.

      Camp a choke point like the bridge, or just hide in the bushes with a sniper rifle and you’ll be the last man standing.

camp ² American  

[kamp] / kæmp /

noun

1. something that provides irreverent or knowing amusement, as by virtue of its being theatrically stylized and extravagantly artificial, self-consciously artless, or ironically ingenuous.

2. a person who adopts a teasing, theatrical manner, especially for the amusement of others.

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verb (used without object)

1. Also camp it up to speak or behave in a coquettishly playful or extravagantly theatrical manner.

adjective

1. campy.

   camp Hollywood musicals of the 1940s.

Camp ³ American  

[kamp] / kæmp /

noun

1. Walter Chauncey 1859–1925, U.S. football coach and author.

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cAMP ⁴ American  

[kamp] / kæmp /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. cyclic AMP.

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camp ¹ British  

/ kæmp /

noun

1. a place where tents, cabins, or other temporary structures are erected for the use of military troops, for training soldiers, etc

2. the military life

3. tents, cabins, etc, used as temporary lodgings by a group of travellers, holiday-makers, Scouts, etc

4. the group of people living in such lodgings

5. a field or paddock fenced off as pasture

6. a group supporting a given doctrine or theory

   the socialist camp

7. a place where sheep or cattle gather to rest

8. (modifier) suitable for use in temporary quarters, on holiday, etc, esp by being portable and easy to set up

   a camp bed

   a camp chair

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verb

1. to establish or set up a camp

2. to live temporarily in or as if in a tent

3. (tr) to put in a camp

camp ² British  

/ kæmp /

adjective

1. effeminate; affected in mannerisms, dress, etc

2. homosexual

3. consciously artificial, exaggerated, vulgar, or mannered; self-parodying, esp when in dubious taste

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verb

1. (tr) to perform or invest with a camp quality

2. 1. to seek to focus attention on oneself by making an ostentatious display, overacting, etc

   2. to flaunt one's homosexuality

noun

1. a camp quality, style, etc

Camp ³ British  

/ kæmp /

noun

1. Walter ( Chauncey ). 1859–1925, US sportsman and administrator; he introduced new rules to American football, which distinguished it from rugby.

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camp Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing camp

• break camp
• foot in both camps
• happy camper

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Other Word Forms

• camping
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of camp¹

First recorded in 1520–30; from Middle French can, camp, originally dialect (Normandy, Picardy) or from Old Provençal, from Italian campo, from Latin campus “field, battlefield”; compare Old English campe, compe “battle, battlefield” (cognate with German Kampf “struggle”), from Germanic, from Latin

Origin of camp²

First recorded in 1865–70 as campish; spelling camp dates to 1905–10; of uncertain origin; perhaps from French se camper “to pose, portray oneself”; perhaps dialectal camp “impetuous, uncouth person,” hence, “slightly objectionable, effeminate, gay”; in some senses probably special use of camp ¹ (in the sense “army camp”), where “camp followers,” a euphemism for prostitutes, were notorious for licentiousness

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Explanation

When you camp, you set up a temporary place to sleep outdoors, often in a tent. Many people like to camp in a beautiful spot, like the mountains or beside a lake. Use the word camp to describe what you do when you sleep under the stars, and also the site itself — after a day of hiking, you could say, "Let's head back to camp." You can also talk about your usual group of friends or co-workers as your camp. Political parties are described this way sometimes: "She was popular in the Democratic camp." The root is the Latin word campus, which means "open field, or level space."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

camp Camp cAMP

George Brant’s libretto has a torn-from-the-headlines immediacy: It was inspired by a 2022 kidnapping of Ukrainian children from a summer camp in Crimea.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

Valerie's investigations led her to a report in The Telegraph newspaper about a Ukrainian prisoner-of-war camp but the journalist who wrote it could not remember seeing Nathan during his visit.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

LaGrange said he falls in the latter camp.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

Here are five things we learned during the Lakers’ training camp and five preseason games:

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

It was time to turn east and head back towards the camp -provided he could find some way of putting the dogs off his trail.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

To offer peace at Camp David in 2000, and again in 2008?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

Further south, the Henderson Fire in San Diego country erupted on Thursday, and has grown to over 2,000 acres, including around Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

And the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton was impacted by the Henderson Fire, which prompted freeway closures and had burned at least 2,070 acres by Friday, according to Cal Fire.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Winds on Thursday drove brush fires in Malibu and Camp Pendleton.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

“I just wish there was no Camp Eclipse and no Oregon and I could go home to Brooklyn!”

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth

When cAMP receives a signal from the cell's surface, it activates PKA.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2024

To complicate matters, sometimes cells turn on too much cAMP and PKA.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2024

In that way, the droplets sequestered the excess cAMP and PKA and tamped down non-specific signaling.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2024

To stop hormone activity, cAMP is deactivated by the cytoplasmic enzyme phosphodiesterase, or PDE.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Second messengers, e.g., cAMP and Ca2+, are often used to transmit signals within a cell.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

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Related Words

• encampment
• tent

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