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to camp

to camp

8 9.3
To act in an exaggerated, showy way to be funny or silly
  • verb
  • /kæmp/
  • NSFW
translation icon : 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

48 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

60 3.5

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

57 1.3

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

concentration camp
  • Offensive
49 5.6

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

42 3.4

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

34 3.2

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

27 4.1

A camp where new soldiers get intense basic training

26 5.3

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

19 7.5

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

death camp
  • NSFW
16 8.4

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

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

8 4.2

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

8 2.5

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

6 7.0

A camp where prisoners must do hard physical work

5 4.3

A camp that holds soldiers captured during a war

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

concentration camp
  • Offensive
3 6.8

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

aide-de-camp
  • Formal
3 9.6

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

3 2.2

A place where people take lessons and practice tennis

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

reeducation camp
  • Offensive
2 9.9

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

1 2.1

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

camp meeting
  • Archaic
1 7.0

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

camp follower
  • Archaic
1 8.0

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

1 1.6

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

1 6.2

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

hobo camp
  • Archaic
1 9.1

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

1 4.2

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

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

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

9.9

A woman who travels with soldiers and offers sex for money

8.8

A bold gray bird that steals food from camps and picnics

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

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

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

8.4

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

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

How Theatrical

to overact
5 5.5
to ham it up
  • Informal
4 7.4
to camp
  • NSFW
8 9.3
to play up
9 4.3
to affect
115 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.