Meaning & use
camping
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Meanings
noununcountable
The activity of spending nights outdoors in a tent, caravan or similar shelter, usually for fun or adventure.
Grammar: No plural: we love camping. Often used with go: go camping, not go to camping.
Patterns
- go camping
- camping in/at somewhere
We go camping in the mountains every August.
Camping is cheaper than staying in a hotel, though it needs more preparation.
Her idea of a perfect weekend is camping beside a quiet lake.
noununcountable
Permission or facilities for people to set up camp in a certain place.
Grammar: Usually seen on signs and in listings: no camping, camping available.
Patterns
- camping allowed/permitted
- no camping
A sign at the edge of the field says no camping.
The farm offers camping and hot showers for a small fee.
Camping is only permitted in the marked areas of the park.
Common combinations
- go camping
- Let's go camping next weekend if the weather is good.
- camping trip
- Our camping trip was ruined by rain.
- camping gear
- He packed all his camping gear into the car.
- wild camping
- Wild camping is not allowed in some parts of the country.
- camping stove
- The camping stove boiled water in minutes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tenting
- Tenting is less common and specifically means sleeping in a tent, while camping can include vans and caravans.
- roughing it
- Roughing it is an informal phrase that stresses living without comforts, which camping sometimes but not always involves.
- glamping
- Glamping is a playful word for camping with luxury touches such as real beds, which ordinary camping lacks.
Word family
- camp verb
- to stay in a tent or temporary shelter outdoors
- camper noun
- a person who camps, or in American English a vehicle with sleeping space
- campsite noun
- a place where people may set up tents
- campfire noun
- an outdoor fire at a camp
- campground noun
- an area set aside for camping, with facilities
Commonly confused: camping or camper?
camping vs camper
A camper is the person who camps, or in the United States a vehicle for sleeping in; camping is the activity itself.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
Go camping is the normal pattern, with no preposition after go. The version with to or on is incorrect, and the last option is clumsy rather than the standard phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “camping”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.