camping Definition

camp¹
noun

1. A piece of ground on which tents have been erected.

Thesaurus: campsite, campground, encampment.
2. A collection of buildings, huts, tents, etc used as temporary accommodation or for short stays for a particular purpose.
3. A permanent site where troops are housed or trained.
4. archaeol.
An ancient fortified site.
5. A party or side in a dispute, etc; a group having a particular set of opinions, beliefs, etc.

Thesaurus: caucus, faction, party, clique, crowd, group, section, set, side.

verb

intr
camped, camping
1. To stay in a tent or tents, cooking meals in the open air, etc.

Thesaurus: quarter, lodge, station, locate, bivouac, camp out, rough it, sleep under the stars; Antonym: leave, depart.

Derivative: camping
noun

Living in a tent or makeshift accommodation, especially for recreation.

Idiom: break camp

To take down tents, etc when leaving a campsite.

Idiom: pitch camp

See under pitch¹.

Etymology: 16c: French, from Latin campus field.

Phrasal Verb: camp out

To live and sleep in the open, with or without a tent.To stay in temporary accommodation with a minimum of furniture, equipment, etc.

---

camp² (colloq, sometimes derog)
adj

1. Said of a man or his behaviour: using mannerisms that are typically associated with women, especially in a deliberate, exaggerated or theatrical way.
2. Said of a man: homosexual.
3. Theatrical and exaggerated, especially amusingly so.

Thesaurus: affected, theatrical, posturing, exaggerated, artificial, mannered, ostentatious.

noun

1. Camp behaviour or style.

verb

intr
camped, camping
1. To behave in a camp way.

Idiom: camp it up

To behave in an exaggerated theatrical way; to overact.

Etymology: 20c.

Phrasal Verb: camp something up

To make it camp.
Example: He camped his performance up to make the character more lively

---

camping camp¹