Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for encampment. Search instead for encampments.
Synonyms

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.


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing encampment

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.

See Examples For:

The county said they congregated around a homeless encampment and that “they were also going on private property and impeding work at the oil field.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

Clashes quickly broke out as dozens of officers moved in on an encampment in Lisbon's Rossio Square and a smaller camp in Porto's Dom Joao I Square at around 4:30 am.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

In Madrid, an encampment of tents has occupied a city-centre square since late September.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

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

Henry asks, about forty-five minutes past the homeless encampment.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com