What does campsite mean?
A campsite is a place where travelers set up a tent, park a camper van or RV, or otherwise sleep outdoors overnight. In its most precise sense, a campsite is an individual pitch — a marked plot of ground equipped, perhaps, with a fire ring, picnic table, or electrical hookup. More broadly, especially in British English, the word can refer to an entire camping facility containing many such pitches, alongside amenities like toilets, showers, and drinking water. Campsites range from primitive spots reachable only on foot to developed resorts with shops and swimming pools. The word carries relaxed, outdoorsy connotations of holidays, family trips, and time spent close to nature, and it appears constantly in travel guides, booking websites, and casual conversation about vacations.
nounA place where people can set up tents or park campers to sleep outdoors, typically offering space for one or more camps.
- A specific place or pitch where a tent or camper is set up for outdoor sleeping
- A whole campground or facility offering such places (common in informal usage)
"We reached the campsite by late afternoon and pitched the tent before dark."
"The campsite we reserved had a fire ring and a picnic table overlooking the river."
"During peak season, every campsite along the coast is booked solid weeks in advance."
Regular plural; used when referring to multiple individual pitches or facilities.
"The national park maintains over two hundred campsites across its four districts."
"Campsite" joins a Latin word that once described ancient Roman military encampments with a very modern idea: booking a patch of grass months in advance just to sleep on it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of campsite
Campsite combines "camp," from the Latin campus meaning an open field, which passed into English via French in the sixteenth century as a term for military encampments, and "site," from the Latin situs, meaning a place or position. The compound emerged in English in the nineteenth century as recreational camping became popular. Its relatives include other campus-derived words such as campaign and decamp.
How campsite is actually used
In British English "campsite" commonly refers to an entire camping facility, whereas in American English it more often means a single pitch within a campground. The word is neutral in register and used equally in everyday speech and writing.
Easily confused with campsite
A campground is a larger area containing multiple sites, while a campsite is a single designated spot within such an area (though the two words are often used interchangeably in American English).