camp

14 synonyms and 2 antonyms for camp, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A place with tents, cabins, or temporary shelters where people stay, especially outdoors.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

settlement

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

tent

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

campsite campground encampment base camp bivouac clique ingroup coterie cantonment campy campish encamp

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A place with tents, cabins, or temporary shelters where people stay, especially outdoors.

“The scouts packed up their camp and walked back down the hill.”

campsite campground encampment base camp bivouac settlement clique ingroup coterie cantonment campy campish

Opposites

uncamp uncampy

2. adjective

Exaggerated, theatrical, or flamboyantly over-the-top, often knowingly so.

“The party had a wonderfully camp theme, with feather boas and glitter everywhere.”

campy

3. verb

To stay temporarily in a tent or outdoor shelter.

“We like to camp in the hills when the weather is dry.”

tent bivouac encamp

How to use camp

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

pitch camp summer camp camp it up

Etymology

Origin uncertain; possibly linked to French camper ("to strike a pose") for the theatrical sense, and to Latin campus ("field") for the outdoor-shelter sense.

Full origin of camp →

Frequently asked questions

What does “camp” mean?

The word “camp” means a place with tents, cabins, or temporary shelters where people stay, especially outdoors. In plain terms, either a place to stay outdoors, or (as an adjective) a deliberately theatrical, over-the-top style.

How do you pronounce “camp”?

“Camp” is pronounced KAMP (/ˈkeə̯mp/ in IPA).

How do you use “camp” in a sentence?

Here is “camp” used in a sentence: “We pitched camp beside the river before dark.”

What is another word for “camp”?

Words with a similar meaning to “camp” include campy and campish.

What is the opposite of “camp”?

The opposite of “camp” — its antonyms — are uncamp and uncampy.

What part of speech is “camp”?

Depending on how it is used, “camp” can be a noun, an adjective and a verb.

Where does the word “camp” come from?

The word “camp” comes from Latin. Origin uncertain; possibly linked to French camper ("to strike a pose") for the theatrical sense, and to Latin campus ("field") for the outdoor-shelter sense.

Is “camp” a common word?

“Camp” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

What is the difference between a camp and a campsite?

A camp is the group of tents, cabins, or shelters together with the people staying there, while a campsite is specifically the plot of ground or the facility set aside for camping. You pitch your tent on a campsite; once you are settled in with others, the whole arrangement becomes a camp.

What are the different types of camps?

Camps serve many purposes. Summer camps host children for outdoor activities, boot camps run intensive training, and base camps support climbers or expeditions. There are also refugee camps for displaced people and military camps for troops. The common thread is temporary shelter where a group stays for a shared reason.

What is an example of a camp?

A summer camp is a familiar example: children stay in cabins for a week or two, taking part in swimming, hiking, and campfires. A mountaineering base camp is another — a cluster of tents where climbers rest and prepare before attempting a summit.

People also searched

settlement tent clique campsite coterie campy encamp campish bivouac encampment campground uncamp

Nearby words

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