/ kæmp; NAmE / noun , verb , adjective
■ noun
IN TENTS
1.
[ C , U ] a place where people live temporarily in tents or temporary buildings :
Let's return to camp.
to pitch / make camp (= put up tents)
to break camp (= to take down tents)
—see also holiday camp
HOLIDAY / VACATION
2.
[ C , U ] a place where young people go on holiday / vacation and take part in various activities or a particular activity :
a tennis camp
He spent two weeks at camp this summer.
summer camp
—see also fat camp
PRISON, etc.
3.
[ C ] (used in compounds) a place where people are kept in temporary buildings or tents, especially by a government and often for long periods :
a refugee camp
a camp guard
—see also concentration camp , prison camp , transit camp
ARMY
4.
[ C , U ] a place where soldiers live while they are training or fighting :
an army camp
GROUP OF PEOPLE
5.
[ C ] a group of people who have the same ideas about sth and oppose people with other ideas :
the socialist camp
We were in opposing camps.
6.
[ C ] one of the sides in a competition and the people connected with it :
There was an air of confidence in the England camp.
•
IDIOMS
see foot noun
■ verb
LIVE IN TENT
1.
[ v ] to put up a tent and live in it for a short time :
I camped overnight in a field.
2.
[ v ] go camping to stay in a tent, especially while you are on holiday / vacation :
They go camping in France every year.
STAY FOR SHORT TIME
3.
[ v ] camp (out) to live in sb's house for a short time, especially when you do not have a bed there :
I'm camping out at a friend's apartment at the moment.
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- camp out
- camp it up
■ adjective
1.
( of a man or his manner ) deliberately behaving in a way that some people think is typical of a homosexual
SYN effeminate
2.
exaggerated in style, especially in a deliberately amusing way :
The movie is a camp celebration of the fashion industry.
••
WORD ORIGIN
noun and verb early 16th cent.: from French camp , champ , from Italian campo , from Latin campus level ground, specifically applied to the Campus Martius in Rome, used for games, athletic practice, and military drill.
adjective early 20th cent.: of unknown origin.