encampment
Americannoun
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an act or instance of encamping; lodgment in a camp.
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the place or quarters occupied in camping; camp.
noun
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the act of setting up a camp
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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
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Novel Study: The Grapes of Wrath, Chapters 13–21
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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.
If built, a wire-fenced encampment a 15-minute walk from the village will become home to the asylum seekers, who would be free to come and go as they please.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Under California law, agencies must typically provide at least 48 to 72 hours of advance written notice before clearing a homeless encampment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Too many times, she said, residents of a nearby homeless encampment have partied late into the night — sometimes yelling, sometimes blasting music.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
Once an encampment is cleared and people are moved indoors, police should be allowed to enforce city laws and make sure an area stays clear, she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
As usual he walked the horse through the British encampment, through the idle men, stacked muskets, military stores, camp kitchens.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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.
