campaign

1 of 2

noun

cam·​paign (ˌ)kam-ˈpān 

1

: a connected series of military operations forming a distinct phase of a war

the bombing campaign

2

: a connected series of operations designed to bring about a particular result

election campaign

an advertising campaign

campaign

2 of 2

verb

campaigned; campaigning; campaigns

intransitive verb

: to go on, engage in, or conduct a campaign

campaigned for the presidency

transitive verb

: to enter (something, such as a horse or boat) in competition

… was at that time campaigning a big steeplechase stable …

—A. H. Higginson

campaigner noun

Synonyms of campaign

Noun

• movement
• crusade
• push

Examples of campaign in a Sentence

Noun

The group launched a campaign to protect the area from commercial development.

The university is organizing a campaign to attract a more diverse student population.

Verb

She campaigned to save the town library.

He campaigned hard to get more funding.

a time when women were campaigning for the right to vote

I campaigned for her when she ran for governor.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Pushing for criminal law The Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act grew out of an advocacy campaign that in 2023 called for holding influential Haitians accountable for allegedly arming and profiting from criminal gangs. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025

Muenster repeats, downing Shiner again Muenster completed back-to-back state title campaigns, both against Shiner, as the Hornets downed the Comanches 28-0 to take the Class 2A Division II championship on Thursday morning before 7,397 looking on. —Charles Baggarly & Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Dec. 2025

Verb

Biden and then his deputy, Kamala Harris, campaigned hard on the big-money investments in electric cars and clean energy their policies had delivered. —Mark Niquette, Fortune, 12 Dec. 2025

But in a warning sign for the GOP, November's odd-year races saw Democrats who campaigned on affordability win major contests in New York City, Virginia and New Jersey. —Joe Hernandez, NPR, 11 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French campagne, probably from Italian campagna level country, campaign, from Late Latin campania level country, from Latin, the level country around Naples

Verb

derivative of campaign entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1645, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1692, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing campaign

• campaign button
• campaign for
• campaign trail
• counter-campaign
• whispering campaign

Rhymes for campaign

• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• blockchain
• butane
• cetane

Kids Definition

campaign

noun

cam·​paign

kam-ˈpān

1

: a series of military operations in a particular area or for a particular purpose as part of a war

2

: a connected series of activities designed to bring about a particular result

an election campaign

campaign verb

campaigner noun