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.
such tents or shelters collectively.
The regiment transported its camp in trucks.
the persons so sheltered.
The camp slept through the storm.
the act of camping out.
Camp is far more pleasant in summer than in winter.
any temporary structure, as a tent or cabin, used on an outing or vacation.
a group of troops, workers, etc., camping and moving together.
army life.
a group of people favoring the same ideals, doctrines, etc..
Most American voters are divided into two camps, Republicans and Democrats.
any position in which ideals, doctrines, etc., are strongly entrenched.
After considering the other side's argument, he changed camps.
a recreation area in the country, equipped with extensive facilities for sports.
to establish or pitch a camp.
The army camped in the valley.
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.
to reside or lodge somewhere temporarily or irregularly, especially in an apartment, room, etc..
They camped in our apartment whenever they came to town.
to settle down securely and comfortably; become ensconced.
The kids camped on our porch until the rain stopped.
to take up a position stubbornly.
They camped in front of the president's office.
to put or station (troops) in a camp; shelter.
Digital Technology. (in a video game)
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.
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.
something that provides irreverent or knowing amusement, as by virtue of its being theatrically stylized and extravagantly artificial, self-consciously artless, or ironically ingenuous.
a person who adopts a teasing, theatrical manner, especially for the amusement of others.
a place where tents, cabins, or other temporary structures are erected for the use of military troops, for training soldiers, etc
the military life
tents, cabins, etc, used as temporary lodgings by a group of travellers, holiday-makers, Scouts, etc
the group of people living in such lodgings
a field or paddock fenced off as pasture
a group supporting a given doctrine or theory
the socialist camp
a place where sheep or cattle gather to rest
(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
to establish or set up a camp
to live temporarily in or as if in a tent
(tr) to put in a camp
effeminate; affected in mannerisms, dress, etc
homosexual
consciously artificial, exaggerated, vulgar, or mannered; self-parodying, esp when in dubious taste
(tr) to perform or invest with a camp quality
to seek to focus attention on oneself by making an ostentatious display, overacting, etc
to flaunt one's homosexuality
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
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
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."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I struggled a bit in camp," admitted Evans.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
It stood outside a brick six-flat, also fittingly painted blue, and decorated with a few stickers: “Protect Native Plants,” a rocket ship from a regional space camp, several iridescent birds.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
"At first I thought I would take some music and books," he said, sitting wearily on a camp bed in a dirty grey T-shirt.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
“We will uproot your tent!” some of them said, according to Khim Lal Gautam, a Nepal government officer in charge of monitoring mountaineering activities at the base camp.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 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
During his time at the Nou Camp, he played primarily for Barcelona B before spending the 2015–16 season on loan at Sporting Gijon.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
You may remember the president invoking it repeatedly in California, after 2018’s deadly Camp Fire and during last year’s Palisades burns.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
State correctional officials said Miguel Banuelos, 49, walked away from a prison camp — Washington Ridge Conservation Camp — in Northern California on July 4.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The floods come a year after the region was ravaged by floodwaters over the Fourth of July weekend in a disaster that killed more than 100 people, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Grant Christiansen had tried to drive to Camp Baker, a Weyerhaeuser work station, to get tools, but his car had died.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Researchers found that some neurons maintained elevated cAMP levels for longer periods while semaglutide was present.
From Science Daily ● May 25, 2026
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
Second messengers, e.g., cAMP and Ca2+, are often used to transmit signals within a cell.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Each molecule of adenylyl cyclase then triggers the formation of many molecules of cAMP.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
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.
