What does "encampment" mean?
A place where people (such as displaced people, soldiers, or travellers) encamp, that is, stay in tents or other temporary structures; a camp or campsite.
Encampment
/ɪnˈkæmpm(ə)nt/ name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A place where people (such as displaced people, soldiers, or travellers) encamp, that is, stay in tents or other temporary structures; a camp or campsite.
- Grammar: encampment is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: bivouac, camp, camping, barrack.
- Useful contrasts: decampment, disbanding, permanent residence.
- Usage evidence: They will fight with great courage to protect the encampment.
How to use "encampment"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "encampment" 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 "encampment" 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 "encampment" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "encampment" 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 "encampment" is acting as name, noun 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 "bivouac" 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 "encampment", 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 place where people (such as displaced people, soldiers, or travellers) encamp, that is, stay in tents or other temporary structures; a camp or campsite. countable, often, uncountable
"As ſoon as he came to the top of thoſe Hills he plainly diſcovered the Creek or Harbour vvhere the Pyrate Ships lay, and vvhere they had form'd their Encampment on the Shore."
- 2 the act of encamping and living in tents in a camp wordnet
- 3 A place where people or things stay temporarily. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"This was an ancient lobster's house, / A lobster of prodigious nous, / So old that barnacles had spread / Their white encampments o'er its head,— […]"
- 4 temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers wordnet
- 5 An enclosed or fortified prehistoric site, especially a European Iron Age hill-fort. broadly, countable, uncountable
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 a site where people on holiday can pitch a tent wordnet
- 7 A meeting of Freemasons. broadly, countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 8 The act of encamping or setting up a camp; also, the state of being encamped or in a camp. uncountable
"Mars Triumphant; or London's Glory: Being the whole art of encampment, with the method of embattling armies, marching them off, posting the officers, forming hollow squares, and the various ways of paying the salute with the half-pike; […]"
Proper Noun
- 1 a Chinese constellation located near Pegasus, one of the 28 lunar mansions and part of the larger Black Turtle.
Antonyms
Example
"They will fight with great courage to protect the encampment."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "encampment"?
Common synonyms include: bivouac, camp, camping, barrack, barracks, bivouac.
How do you use "encampment" in a sentence?
They will fight with great courage to protect the encampment.
How do you pronounce "encampment"?
Pronounced /ɪnˈkæmpm(ə)nt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
PIE word *h₁én From encamp (“to establish a camp or temporary shelter”) + -ment (suffix forming nouns denoting actions or their results).
Etymology 2
A calque of Chinese 室宿 (Shìsù) (literally "room" or "chamber").