/ kæmˈpeɪn; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
campaign (against / for sth) a series of planned activities that are intended to achieve a particular social, commercial or political aim :
to conduct a campaign
a campaign against ageism in the workplace
the campaign for parliamentary reform
an anti-smoking campaign
Today police launched (= began) a campaign to reduce road accidents.
an advertising campaign
an election campaign
the President's campaign team / manager
2.
a series of attacks and battles that are intended to achieve a particular military aim during a war
■ verb
campaign (for / against sb/sth) to take part in or lead a campaign, for example to achieve political change or in order to win an election :
[ v ]
We have campaigned against whaling for the last 15 years.
The party campaigned vigorously in the north of the country.
[ v to inf ]
They are campaigning to save the area from building development.
► cam·paign·ing noun [ U ]
••
SYNONYMS
campaign
battle ♦ struggle ♦ drive ♦ war ♦ fight
These are all words for an effort made to achieve or prevent sth.
campaign
a series of planned activities that are intended to achieve a particular social, commercial or political aim:
the campaign for parliamentary reform
•
an advertising campaign
battle
a competition or argument between people or groups of people trying to win power or control:
She finally won the legal battle for compensation.
•
the endless battle between man and nature
struggle
a competition or argument between people or groups of people trying to win power or control:
the struggle for independence
•
the struggle between good and evil
battle or struggle?
In many cases you can use either word, but a struggle is always about things that seem absolutely necessary, such as life and death or freedom. A battle can also be about things that are not absolutely necessary, just desirable, or about the pleasure of winning:
the battle / struggle between good and evil
• a legal struggle for compensation • a struggle of wills / wits .
drive
an organized effort by a group of people to achieve sth:
the drive for greater efficiency
•
a drive to reduce energy consumption
campaign or drive?
A campaign is usually aimed at getting other people to do sth; a drive may be an attempt by people to get themselves to do sth:
From today, we're going on an economy drive (= we must spend less) .
A campaign may be larger, more formal and more organized than a drive .
war
[sing.] an effort over a long period of time to get rid of or stop sth bad:
the war against crime
fight
[sing.] the work of trying to stop or prevent sth bad or achieve sth good; an act of competing, especially in a sport:
Workers won their fight to stop compulsory redundancies.
war or fight?
A war is about stopping things, like drugs and crime, that everyone agrees are bad. A fight can be about achieving justice for yourself.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
a campaign / battle / struggle / drive / war / fight for / against sth
a(n) strong / intensive / determined / concerted campaign / drive
a one-man / one-woman / personal campaign / battle / struggle / war / fight
a bitter / fierce campaign / battle / struggle / drive / war / fight
to launch / mount / start / lead / be engaged in / carry on / keep up a campaign / battle / struggle / drive / war / fight
to conduct / organize / run / manage a campaign / drive / war / fight
to win / lose a battle / struggle / war / fight
••
WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent. (denoting a large area of open country): from French campagne open country, via Italian from late Latin campania , from campus level ground, specifically applied to the Campus Martius in Rome, used for games, athletic practice, and military drill. The change in sense arose from an army's practice of “taking the field” (i.e. moving from a fortress or town to open country) at the onset of summer.