encampment

American  

[en-kamp-muhnt] / ɛnˈkæmp mənt /

noun

1. an act or instance of encamping; lodgment in a camp.

2. the place or quarters occupied in camping; camp.

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encampment British  

/ ɪnˈkæmpmənt /

noun

1. the act of setting up a camp

2. the place where a camp, esp a military camp, is set up

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Etymology

Origin of encampment

First recorded in 1590–1600; encamp + -ment

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.

Example Sentences

Anytime I see an encampment that has kids’ toys, things that reference back to the lives of children, it hits hard.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

Five men and two women were arrested on Sunday outside the main gate of Lakenheath airbase during a peace encampment against the Iran war, Suffolk Police said.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

By clearing encampments, Inside Safe also benefits the surrounding community, making sidewalks more accessible and reducing the number of encampment fires, Bass said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

Three days after that exchange, a man named Gregory Antone had been at the Quirky encampment, left, and returned.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

About two hundred yards away, just across the river, was some sort of military encampment.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• campground
• campsite