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to camp out

to camp out

48 2.4
To sleep outdoors for a short time, often in a tent
  • phrasal verb
  • /kæmp aʊt/
translation icon : acampar
  • This weekend, we will camp out in the woods to enjoy nature and the fresh air.
  • camp out overnight
  • camp out at night
  • people camp out

Like, I can't imagine my kids just camping out, but we used to do that.

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Examples

  • I'm too old to camp out in the woods.

  • Reporters camped out at the site; even official newspapers took up the couple's cause.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The owners of the property allowed us to camp out on the land every weekend until we were ready.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • I'll give Woo a call and ask him if I can camp out with him.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Piney invited the gang to camp out near his favorite tree.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Not since childhood when she and Jane Mazzi used to camp out in the backyard of her parents' house.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Tom, virtually every reporter in Washington is camped out here awaiting the President's first appearance since his stroke...

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Whole families are camping out in the lobby; travelers wrapped in blankets are sleeping amid their luggage.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • During the summer, many families choose to camp out by the lake for a fun getaway.

  • They decided to camp out in the backyard for a night filled with stories and stargazing.

Synonyms

to camp
vsto camp out
220 1.0

To stay in a tent or simple shelter outdoors

is a short outdoor sleep or stay rather than a long residence
to go camping
vsto camp out
51 1.0

To sleep outdoors in a tent for fun

is sleeping outdoors briefly without focusing on recreation
to encamp
vsto camp out
5 7.6

To set up tents or temporary shelters and live there for a time

is a short outdoor sleep or stay rather than settling in long term
to tent
vsto camp out
3 2.8

To sleep or stay in a small portable shelter outside

is sleeping outdoors for a short time often in a simple temporary shelter
to bivy
vsto camp out
1 9.9

To sleep outdoors in a simple shelter

uses a tent or temporary shelter rather than minimal gear
to bivouac
vsto camp out
1 9.5

To stay for a short time in a simple camp outdoors, often without tents

is a short outdoor stay that may use basic shelter or tents

How Long

to settle
463 2.5
to encamp
5 7.6
to camp out
48 2.4

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

camp + out

The meaning 'to sleep or live outdoors' is directly and literally derived from combining 'camp' (to stay or sleep outdoors in tents) with 'out' (outdoors), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning. This is a regular verb+particle composition common in English and cross-linguistically, making it transparently compositional rather than idiomatic.

Etymology

Camp out comes from the simple image of making a small camp and staying out in the open, often overnight, like fans who sleep outside to get concert tickets. So it means 'to sleep or live outdoors for a short time'.