encampment
Americannoun
-
an act or instance of encamping; lodgment in a camp.
-
the place or quarters occupied in camping; camp.
noun
-
the act of setting up a camp
-
the place where a camp, esp a military camp, is set up
Etymology
Origin of encampment
Explanation
An encampment is a temporary area made up of tents or other makeshift shelters set up by campers, soldiers, or people without permanent homes. An encampment can provide shelter, community, and a base of operations, whether for recreation, protest, or military purposes. Encampments may pop up when people are displaced by war, natural disasters, or other hardships. Sometimes people create an encampment at a music festival or during a protest so that there is a place to stay and rest without having to leave the area.
Vocabulary lists containing encampment
Road Home
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Novel Study: The Grapes of Wrath, Chapters 13–21
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When city authorities dismantled an encampment along the side of a railway line last month, he couldn't find housing for everyone.
From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026
Those aboard the train had been on their way to Quetta's main railway station from a nearby military encampment, officials said.
From BBC • May 24, 2026
At the entrance of a sprawling military encampment some 100 kilometres away from Derna, a towering portrait of Haftar overlooked the scene.
From Barron's • May 17, 2026
The agency apparently knew there had been an encampment in the tunnel, because Caltrans reported previously doing a cleanup there, McOsker said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
This day was already hot at noon when Crazy Horse walked north through the encampment.
From "In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse" by Joseph Marshall III
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.
