1
: a rotating or sliding piece (such as an eccentric wheel or a cylinder with an irregular shape) in a mechanical linkage used especially in transforming rotary motion into linear motion or vice versa
2
: camshaft
an engine with a single overhead cam
: camera
especially
: video camera
1
computer-aided manufacturing
2
complementary and alternative medicine
Examples of cam in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Penny Abeywardena, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
Live cams some typically trained on beach conditions offered a real-time view of the Palisades fire and dense clouds of smoke pouring into the air.
—Pueng Vongs, The Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2025
More from the series Tragedy on body cam: Miami-Dade police killed her son.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
Police have not released body cam footage from the incident, despite media requests, but an onlooker’s cellphone footage showed the incident take place, according to ABC 15.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
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Noun
Planned developments with homes that use doorbell cams and security cams may want to volunteer to install extra cameras on their perimeter fences.
—Penny Abeywardena, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
Live cams some typically trained on beach conditions offered a real-time view of the Palisades fire and dense clouds of smoke pouring into the air.
—Pueng Vongs, The Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2025
More from the series Tragedy on body cam: Miami-Dade police killed her son.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
Police have not released body cam footage from the incident, despite media requests, but an onlooker’s cellphone footage showed the incident take place, according to ABC 15.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cam
Dictionary Entries Near cam
Cite this Entry
“Cam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cam. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cam
1 of 2 noun
: a device by which circular motion may be transformed into stop-and-start or back-and-forth motion
cam
2 of 2 nounEtymology
Noun
perhaps from French came "cam," from German Kamm, literally, "comb"
Medical Definition
CAM
abbreviation2
complementary and alternative medicine
According to a 2002 survey by the National Center for Health Statistics, 36 percent of adults in the United States used some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), including naturopathy, relaxation techniques, chiropractic, yoga, massage, and diets.—In-Sung Yoo, The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware)
In-Sung Yoo, The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware)Geographical Definition
Cam
geographical name
river 40 miles (64 kilometers) long in Cambridgeshire, east central England, flowing into the Ouse River
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