noun
- a place where an army or other group of persons or an individual is lodged in a tent or tents or other temporary means of shelter.
- such tents or shelters collectively: The regiment transported its camp in trucks.
- the persons so sheltered: The camp slept through the storm.
- the act of camping out: Camp is far more pleasant in summer than in winter.
- any temporary structure, as a tent or cabin, used on an outing or vacation.
- a group of troops, workers, etc., camping and moving together.
- army life.
- a group of people favoring the same ideals, doctrines, etc.: Most American voters are divided into two camps, Republicans and Democrats.
- any position in which ideals, doctrines, etc., are strongly entrenched: After considering the other side’s argument, he changed camps.
- a recreation area in the country, equipped with extensive facilities for sports.
- day camp.
- summer camp.
verb (used without object)
- to establish or pitch a camp: The army camped in the valley.
- to live temporarily in or as if in a camp or outdoors, usually for recreation (often followed by out): They camped by the stream for a week.
- to reside or lodge somewhere temporarily or irregularly, especially in an apartment, room, etc.: They camped in our apartment whenever they came to town.
- to settle down securely and comfortably; become ensconced: The kids camped on our porch until the rain stopped.
- to take up a position stubbornly: They camped in front of the president’s office.
verb (used with object)
- to put or station (troops) in a camp; shelter.
noun
- something that provides sophisticated, knowing amusement, as by virtue of its being artlessly mannered or stylized, self-consciously artificial and extravagant, or teasingly ingenuous and sentimental.
- a person who adopts a teasing, theatrical manner, especially for the amusement of others.
verb (used without object)
- Also camp it up. to speak or behave in a coquettishly playful or extravagantly theatrical manner.
adjective
- campy: camp Hollywood musicals of the 1940s.
noun
- Walter (Chauncey). 1859–1925, US sportsman and administrator; he introduced new rules to American football, which distinguished it from rugby.
noun
- a place where tents, cabins, or other temporary structures are erected for the use of military troops, for training soldiers, etc
- the military life
- tents, cabins, etc, used as temporary lodgings by a group of travellers, holiday-makers, Scouts, etc
- the group of people living in such lodgings
- Southern African a field or paddock fenced off as pasture
- a group supporting a given doctrine or theorythe socialist camp
- Australian a place where sheep or cattle gather to rest
- (modifier) suitable for use in temporary quarters, on holiday, etc, esp by being portable and easy to set upa camp bed; a camp chair
verb
- (intr often foll by down) to establish or set up a camp
- (intr often foll by out) to live temporarily in or as if in a tent
- (tr) to put in a camp
adjective
- effeminate; affected in mannerisms, dress, etc
- homosexual
- consciously artificial, exaggerated, vulgar, or mannered; self-parodying, esp when in dubious taste
verb
- (tr) to perform or invest with a camp quality
- camp it up
- to seek to focus attention on oneself by making an ostentatious display, overacting, etc
- to flaunt one’s homosexuality
noun
- a camp quality, style, etc
“to encamp,” 1540s, from camp (n.). Related: Camped; camping.
“place where an army lodges temporarily,” 1520s, from French camp, from Italian campo, from Latin campus “open field, level space” (also source of French champ; see campus), especially “open space for military exercise.”
A later reborrowing of the Latin word, which had been taken up in early West Germanic as *kampo-z and appeared originally in Old English as camp “contest, battle, fight, war.” This was obsolete by mid-15c. Transferred to non-military senses 1550s. Meaning “body of adherents of a doctrine or cause” is 1871. Camp-follower first attested 1810. Camp-meeting is from 1809, originally usually in reference to Methodists.
“tasteless,” 1909, homosexual slang, of uncertain origin, perhaps from mid-17c. French camper “to portray, pose” (as in se camper “put oneself in a bold, provocative pose”); popularized 1964 by Susan Sontag’s essay “Notes on Camp.” Campy is attested from 1959.
abbr.
- cyclic AMP
In addition to the idioms beginning with camp
- camp follower
- camp it up
- camp out
also see:
- break camp
- foot in both camps
- happy camper