camp meaning and definition

CAMP noun

Definition of camp (noun)

1. temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
   • "wherever he went in the camp the men were grumbling"
   • synonyms: bivouac, cantonment, encampment
2. a group of people living together in a camp
   • "the whole camp laughed at his mistake"
3. temporary lodgings in the country for travelers or vacationers
   • "level ground is best for parking and camp areas"
4. an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
   • synonyms: clique, coterie, ingroup, inner circle, pack
5. a penal institution (often for forced labor)
   • "China has many camps for political prisoners"
6. something that is considered amusing not because of its originality but because of its unoriginality
   • "the living room was pure camp"
7. shelter for persons displaced by war or political oppression or for religious beliefs
   • synonyms: refugee camp
8. a site where care and activities are provided for children during the summer months
   • "city kids get to see the country at a summer camp"
   • synonyms: summer camp

CAMP verb

Definition of camp (verb)

1. live in or as if in a tent
   • "Can we go camping again this summer?"; "The circus tented near the town"; "The houseguests had to camp in the living room"
   • synonyms: bivouac, camp out, encamp, tent
2. establish or set up a camp
   • synonyms: camp down
3. give an artificially banal or sexual quality to

CAMP adjective

Definition of camp (adjective)

1. providing sophisticated amusement by virtue of having artificially (and vulgarly) mannered or banal or sentimental qualities
   • "they played up the silliness of their roles for camp effect"; "campy Hollywood musicals of the 1940's"
   • synonyms: campy