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• cam
  cam

  noun

  a disk or cylinder having an irregular form such that its motion, usually rotary, gives to a part or parts in contact with it a specific rocking or reciprocating motion.
• Cam
  Cam

  noun

  a river in E England flowing NE by Cambridge, into the Ouse River. 40 miles (64 km) long.
• CAM
  CAM

  noun

  computer-aided manufacturing.
• Cam.
  Cam.

  abbreviation

  Cambridge.
• -cam
  -cam

  combining form

  camera

cam

¹ American  

[kam] / kæm /

noun

1. Machinery. a disk or cylinder having an irregular form such that its motion, usually rotary, gives to a part or parts in contact with it a specific rocking or reciprocating motion.

2. Automotive Slang. camshaft.

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verb (used with object)

cammed, camming

1. to provide (a machine part or mechanism) with a cam or cams.

cam ² American  

[kam] / kæm /

noun

1. a camera, especially one that records video (often used in combination, as in ).

   She's a professional photographer who uses state-of-the-art cams.

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Cam ³ American  

[kam] / kæm /

noun

1. a river in E England flowing NE by Cambridge, into the Ouse River. 40 miles (64 km) long.

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CAM ⁴ American  

[kam] / kæm /

noun

1. computer-aided manufacturing.

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Cam. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. Cambridge.

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CAM ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. complementary and alternative medicine

2. computer-aided manufacture

3. botany crassulacean acid metabolism: a form of photosynthesis, first described in crassulaceous plants, in which carbon dioxide is taken up only at night

4. Cameroon (international car registration)

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-cam ² British  

combining form

1. camera

   webcam

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Cam ³ British  

/ kæm /

noun

1. a river in E England, in Cambridgeshire, flowing through Cambridge to the River Ouse. Length: about 64 km (40 miles)

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cam ⁴ British  

/ kæm /

noun

1. a slider or roller attached to a rotating shaft to give a particular type of reciprocating motion to a part in contact with its profile

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Etymology

Origin of cam¹

< Dutch or Low German kam, kamm. See comb

Origin of cam²

First recorded in 1975–80; shortening of camera ¹ ( def. )

Origin of CAM⁴

First recorded in 1965–70

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cam Cam CAM Cam. camming

For the next two hours he watched the Inter-Con guys on the security cam pushing on doors that wouldn’t yield.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

"I would also ask anyone who was in the area and may have dash cam footage that could assist to get in touch."

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Several schoolteachers described bringing the nest cam into their classrooms as a learning tool.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

A bald eagle rescued near Big Bear over the weekend is likely Jackie, one-half of the beloved pair featured in a longtime nest livestream, according to the wildlife nonprofit behind the cam.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

And Curtis stared blankly into his computer cam.

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

Ball first laid down roots in the property when he began renting the unit from former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, one of the city’s legendary NFL icons.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

Cam Eddy founded Impause in February, around when military conflict started to ramp up in the Middle East, pushing up the price of oil.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

The Giants scored two late touchdowns to force overtime but, when within range of a winning field goal, they ran the ball with Cam Skattebo, who fumbled to lose possession.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Now, as the Yankees begin a best-of-three playoff series against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, New York’s Cam Schlittler is the most dominant pitcher in the American League.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

“I want Cam to show me the room with the keys. We’ll meet you back here.”

From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth

Regulation CTX and Regulation CAM would establish requirements for CFTC-registered exchanges that offer these crypto assets for trading.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

CAM plants need substantially less water than plants relying entirely on more conventional forms of photosynthesis, making them potentially useful models for developing climate resilient crops.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

Do not visit a CAM practitioner instead of seeing your GP.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2024

CAM is what makes the Western militaries so good, it was designed with the Soviet military approach in mind.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2023

The clumsy signature CAM was probably intended for Campi, the real author, and its genuineness is not above suspicion.

From Giorgione by Herbert Cook

Fitzpatrick echoed those sentiments, saying: "I love Cam. He's such a nice guy. He's so laid back. I knew we were going to have a good day, and it was."

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2026

“Hope the best for Cam. Obviously, had some great times with him, some great memories with him as well, but excited for Kyren.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2023

“I fully trust Cam. Cam has the keys to the car,” Dickert said.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 4, 2022

"I wanted to set it up for Cam. All the pressure is on the other guy to get it to 1-1 and that was my job."

From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2021

“Maarsii, Cam. Really, truly, in all the languages I know.”

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Some of their protection is pre-place bolts, but some is “traditional” gear — like self camming devices and passive protection such as “nuts.”

From New York Times ● Jan. 14, 2015

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