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.
Automotive Slang. camshaft.
complementary and alternative medicine
computer-aided manufacture
botany crassulacean acid metabolism: a form of photosynthesis, first described in crassulaceous plants, in which carbon dioxide is taken up only at night
Cameroon (international car registration)
< Dutch or Low German kam, kamm. See comb
First recorded in 1975–80; shortening of camera 1 ( def. )
First recorded in 1965–70
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Body cam video from the officer shows the large dog, wearing a Knicks T-shirt, barked loudly at police when Marseille first opened her door.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
Sandy has taken flight, but not without sending eagle-eyed viewers of the Friends of Big Bear Valley eagle nest cam into a Sunday-morning panic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026
Police are appealing for information and have urged anyone who has CCTV, doorbell or dash cam footage which covers The Crest between 00:01 on Saturday and 15:00 on Sunday to get in touch.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
A live cam was also placed near the structure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
My head jerks up to the security cam in one corner of my room’s ceiling, wondering if they are hacking it to watch me, and then my attention goes back to the message.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
His deepest attempt, for tight end Terrance Ferguson, was broken up by cornerback Cam Lampkin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
CAMBRIDGE, England—Every summer, students here line up in dozens of boats, wait for a cannon to fire, then pelt around the narrow bends of the River Cam trying to smash the crew in front.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
So, he invested his own money to build a container terminal in Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Bay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
The stream — called the Kornacki Cam — provides unadulterated number-crunching without any pundits weighing in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
Right now, Cam looked like he did when he was brainstorming a new pizza recipe.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The availability of CAM on the NHS is limited, and in most cases the NHS will not offer such treatments.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2024
Female evaluators judged those with skewed downward gazes more harshly than male evaluators, and the difference in the evaluation of the CAM and SKW stimuli for female interviewees was larger than the male interviewees.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 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
CAM includes components like processed nickel, lithium and other materials that make up about 40% of the cost of a battery, the industry ministry said in a statement.
From Reuters ● May 29, 2023
The clumsy signature CAM was probably intended for Campi, the real author, and its genuineness is not above suspicion.
From Giorgione by Cook, Herbert
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
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.
