What does "cam" mean?
A turning or sliding piece which imparts motion to a rod, lever or block brought into sliding or rolling contact with it.
Cam
/[kæm]/ adv, name, noun, verb, slang
adv, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A turning or sliding piece which imparts motion to a rod, lever or block brought into sliding or rolling contact with it.
- Grammar: cam is listed as adv, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: askance, askew, associative memory, awry.
- Usage evidence: She asked me if I have a web cam.
How to use "cam"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cam" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cam" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cam" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cam" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cam" is acting as adv, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "askance" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cam", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A turning or sliding piece which imparts motion to a rod, lever or block brought into sliding or rolling contact with it.
- 2 Camera. informal
- 3 Initialism of complementary and alternative medicine. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 4 a rotating disk shaped to convert circular into linear motion wordnet
- 5 A turning or sliding piece which imparts motion to a rod, lever or block brought into sliding or rolling contact with it.; A curved wedge, movable about an axis, used for forcing or clamping two pieces together.
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 A bootleg recording of a film recorded in a movie theater.
- 7 Initialism of common area maintenance. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 8 A ridge or mound of earth. UK, dialectal
"Cum doun t' cam' soid"
- 9 Initialism of computer-aided manufacturing. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 10 A spring-loaded camming device, a spring-loaded device for effecting a temporary belay in a rock crevice.
- 11 Initialism of cockpit area microphone. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 12 Initialism of cell-adhesion molecule. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 13 Initialism of crassulacean acid metabolism. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 14 Initialism of contract air mail (often followed by the route number, eg, CAM 21). US, abbreviation, alt-of, historical, initialism
- 15 Initialism of content-addressable memory. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Verb
- 1 To go on webcam with someone.
Adverb
- 1 Alternative form of kam. alt-of, alternative
Proper Noun
- 1 A river in Cambridgeshire, England, which passes through Cambridge and joins the Great Ouse.
- 2 A diminutive of the male given name Cameron.
"Cam Smith bounced to shortstop on a 100 mph fastball, and Jacob Melton also grounded out on an 86.9 mph curveball."
- 3 Abbreviation of Campeche: a state of Mexico. abbreviation, alt-of
- 4 A village and civil parish in Stroud district, Gloucestershire, England (OS grid ref SO7400).
- 5 A minor river in Gloucestershire which flows into the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal.
Example
"She asked me if I have a web cam."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cam"?
Common synonyms include: askance, askew, associative memory, awry, camera, camshafts.
How do you use "cam" in a sentence?
She asked me if I have a web cam.
How do you pronounce "cam"?
Pronounced /[kæm]/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
PIE word *ǵómbʰos Recorded since the 16th century, from Dutch kam (“cog of a wheel; originally, comb”) (cognate with English comb, and preserved in modern Dutch compounds such as kamrad, kamwiel (“cog wheel”)). Doublet of comb.
Etymology 2
Clipping of camera.
Etymology 3
From Old English Granta, Grantebryċġ, the former name of the modern Cambridge, ultimately from a Celtic word for "crooked," Proto-Celtic *kambos, from late Proto-Indo-European *(s)kambo- (“crooked”), shared with Ancient Greek σκαμβός (skambós).
Etymology 4
Shortening.