decamp

American  

[dih-kamp] / dɪˈkæmp /

verb (used without object)

decamps, present (3rd person singular) decamped, past participle, past decamping present participle

1. to depart from a camp; to pack up equipment and leave a camping ground.

   We decamped before the rain began.

2. to depart quickly, secretly, or unceremoniously.

   The band of thieves decamped in the night.

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decamp British  

/ dɪˈkæmp /

verb

1. to leave a camp; break camp

2. to depart secretly or suddenly; abscond

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• decampment
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• decamping
  present
• decamped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• decamp
  simple
• decamps
  simple
• have decamped
  perfect
• has decamped
  perfect
• am decamping
  progressive
• are decamping
  progressive
• is decamping
  progressive
• have been decamping
  perfect progressive
• has been decamping
  perfect progressive

Past

• decamped
  simple
• had decamped
  perfect
• was decamping
  progressive
• were decamping
  progressive
• had been decamping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will decamp
  simple
• will have decamped
  perfect
• will be decamping
  progressive
• will have been decamping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of decamp

1670–80; < French décamper, equivalent to dé- dis- ¹ + camper to encamp; see camp ¹

Explanation

When you decamp, you leave or depart very suddenly, or in secret. If your rent in Brooklyn keeps going up, you may decide to decamp to New Jersey. Use the verb decamp when people scram — especially when they relocate a household or a business to a new location. You'll probably be disappointed when your favorite pizza place decamps to another neighborhood, or if your best friend's family decamps to Canada. The word was originally a military term, literally meaning "leave camp," from the French décamper, from des-, "apart or away," and camp, "open space for military exercises."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

decamp decamps decamped decamping

Then, of course, there is the added perk of the private beach, a rare draw in an area where Manhattanites regularly decamp during the warmer summer months.

From MarketWatch ● May 26, 2026

I enjoyed my life in the City of Brotherly Love, but I had read that Ecuador was affordable and thought that I could decamp there as a temporary base for my self-imposed sabbatical.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026

So what did the last three days of running in Bahrain, before the teams decamp to Albert Park in Melbourne, say about the reshaped sport - and who are the winners and losers within that?

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

Barron’s Karishma Vanjani writes that overseas investors’ desire to decamp from Treasuries is already a concern.

From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026

The principal spoke with such gravity that Christine and her classmates worried they might have to pack up their books and decamp for the other side of town at that very moment.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Exhibit A: the band decamps to New Orleans to record their next record.

From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2026

And I’ve spent the last two Sundances readying to let this town go when the festival decamps for Boulder, Colo., in 2027.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2026

Dudamel is 42 years old, and will have been at the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 17 years by the time he decamps for New York, a long tenure.

From New York Times ● May 31, 2023

The London displays wrap up on Tuesday, when the fashion crowd decamps to Milan Fashion Week for more new season runway shows.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2023

So the king, having the start of him, moves towards London; and Essex, nettled to be both beaten in fight and outdone in conduct, decamps, and follows the king.

From Memoirs of a Cavalier A Military Journal of the Wars in Germany, and the Wars in England. From the Year 1632 to the Year 1648. by Defoe, Daniel

Back at his building, Sillie says, the Venezuelan rescue contingent soon decamped.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

In nearby Habana Vieja, the historic city center, nine families who decamped from a collapsed building three years ago are still living in a boxing gym.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

Faison and Braff are still constantly collaborating whether that’s on a podcast or commercials, and even though she’s decamped from Los Angeles to Canada, Chalke makes a point to keep in touch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026

Two years later, Maurice decamped for the Florida Panthers—who promptly traded for Tkachuk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026

El Patron decamped not long afterward with his bodyguards.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

Gen Re CEO Kara Raiguel and Alleghany’s Joe Brandon were two mentioned as candidates, as was Todd Combs, the money manager who led Geico before decamping to JPMorgan Chase in December.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026

If the music world is decamping from London again this week, then it needs to "give back to the community", she adds, and not just pay it "lip service".

From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026

For generations, Mexican immigrants have landed in this area before decamping to Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024

Blinken had visited Israel and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday before decamping to Jordan for meetings with senior Arab officials on Saturday.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 5, 2023

For the rest the horses in the barn were ready harnessed, and Ma could be trusted to get together the household things ready for decamping.

From The Watchers of the Plains A Tale of the Western Prairies by Cullum, Ridgwell