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to camp

to camp

1 9.3
To act in an exaggerated, showy way to be funny or silly
  • verb
  • /kæmp/
  • NSFW
: sobreactuar
  • During the talent show, she decided to camp it up with a dramatic monologue, complete with exaggerated gestures.

Examples

  • Camp it up a bit.

  • Camp it up!

  • What's all that about camping it up in my aisle?

  • Next door, the gay boys camped it up, swishing around in capes like Hook.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • At the party, he always knew how to camp it up, delighting everyone with his over-the-top impressions.

  • The actors were encouraged to camp it up during the performance to heighten the comedic effect.

Synonyms

to chew the scenery
vsto camp
  • Informal
1 9.6

To act in a very exaggerated way to get attention in plays or films

emphasizes deliberate artificiality and sexual innuendo rather than mere overacting

Antonyms

18 5.2

To make something seem smaller or less important than it really is

Phrasal Verbs

66 2.4

To sleep outdoors for a short time, often in a tent

Pack your things and leave a camp at the end of your stay

Compounds

87 1.3

A place where children stay away from home in summer to join activities

71 3.5

A place that gives temporary shelter and help to people forced to leave their country because of war

concentration camp
  • Offensive
59 5.6

A place where many people are imprisoned without trial in harsh, crowded conditions

58 3.4

A place at the start of a trip for climbing or hiking where people rest and keep supplies

51 3.2

A private house in Maryland where the US President meets leaders and rests

33 4.1

A camp where new soldiers get intense basic training

31 4.2

A short intense course that quickly teaches skills like coding or fitness

29 5.3

A camp where guards keep people against their will, often during war

21 7.5

A prison where people are forced to work, often for political reasons

death camp
  • NSFW
18 8.4

A prison camp where people are kept and killed, often used by Nazi Germany in World War II

13 2.5

A place where children spend the day doing activities with adults and go home at night

A place where people are held under guard during war or for political reasons

8 7.0

A camp where prisoners must do hard physical work

7 4.3

A camp that holds soldiers captured during a war

A place where refugees or migrants are kept temporarily while officials decide if they can enter the country

A place that holds soldiers captured by the enemy during a war

4 2.2

A place where people take lessons and practice tennis

aide-de-camp
  • Formal
3 9.6

A military officer who helps a senior officer with personal and official duties

reeducation camp
  • Offensive
3 9.9

A place where a government holds people and forces them to change their beliefs

camp follower
  • Archaic
1 8.0

A person who travels with an army to cook, trade and help

1 6.2

A place where young people who broke the law stay temporarily under court care

1 2.1

A small bed that folds for sleeping when camping or for guests

1 1.6

A small folding chair you use outdoors, for example when camping

A Nazi camp near Munich where the government locked up and killed Jews and other people during the Holocaust

1 4.2

A place where people rent spaces for homes on wheels with water and electricity

A camp in southwest Poland where Nazis killed many people, mostly Jewish people, during World War II

camp meeting
  • Archaic
1 7.0

A religious gathering that takes place outdoors or in tents for several days

hobo camp
  • Archaic
1 9.1

A place where homeless people live temporarily, often in tents or simple shelters

A place like a prison in northwest Germany where Nazis held and killed many Jewish people during World War II

A program where people receive therapy to regain strength and movement after injury or illness

A camp in central Germany run by the Nazis where many people are imprisoned and killed during World War II

concentration camp
  • Offensive
1 6.8

A place or situation where people are kept under very harsh, crowded, and controlled conditions

A short, intensive course that teaches programming skills to prepare people for tech jobs

1 8.8

A bold gray bird that steals food from camps and picnics

9.9

A woman who travels with soldiers and offers sex for money

8.4

A place where people are kept by the government and forced to change their beliefs or behavior

How Theatrical

to overact
5 5.5
to ham it up
  • Informal
4 7.4
to camp
  • NSFW
1 9.3
to play up
30 4.3
to affect
6 8.1

Surface Forms

camp infinitive
camped past
camped past participle
camping present participle
camps third person singular

Etymology

The verb camp meaning 'to act exaggeratedly' grew from the theatrical sense of camp and from the French idea se camper 'to pose', so to 'camp it up' is to perform in a showy, over-the-top way.