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summer camp

summer camp

57 1.3
A place where children stay away from home in summer to join activities
  • noun
  • /ˈsʌmər kæmp/
translation icon : campamento de verano
  • I spent some years as a summer camp counsellor, and we always had kids coming to the country from the city.
  • go to summer camp
  • attend summer camp
  • a summer camp program

I kind of know I went home from summer camp crying.

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Examples

  • She started a free summer camp to help students get ready for middle school.

  • When your brother was a kid, we thought it would be a good idea to send him to summer camp.

  • So I I remember I used to be in a little summer camp I used to go to.

  • I mean what you do on your summer camp is your business.

  • And I understand that the summer camp he went to changed their name to honor him.

  • I want to tell you about summer camp.

  • I learned archery at a summer camp.

  • Overall, this study documented an intergenerational summer camp that sought to transfer important cultural knowledge.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Children redeemed their points for desirable prizes every few days at a summer camp store.

    Academic text (2013)
  • My parents sent me to a sleepaway summer camp when I was six.

Synonyms

camp
vssummer camp
1.0

A place where people stay in tents or simple buildings for a short time

is specific to children during summer with organized care and activities away from home
day camp
vssummer camp
8 2.5

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

is for children away from home and often includes overnight stays
sleepaway
vssummer camp
  • Informal
4 6.5

A camp where children stay overnight for several days

is a program for children during summer that may not focus on overnight stays

How Structured

boot camp
27 4.1
sleepaway
  • Informal
4 6.5
summer camp
57 1.3
day camp
8 2.5
playdate
15 1.7

Surface Forms

summer camp singular
summer camps plural

Morphology

summer + camp

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'summer' (the season) with 'camp' (a place where people stay temporarily); a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer a camp that takes place in summer. This compositional pattern is common across languages (e.g. Spanish 'campamento de verano', French 'camp d'été') and follows normal noun + noun/content modifier patterns, so it is transparently understood.

Etymology

Summer camp comes from the simple image of children staying at a camp during the summer, sleeping in tents or cabins and doing outdoor games and crafts. So today summer camp means 'a place where children are looked after and take part in activities during the summer, usually away from home'.