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
Esther Kang, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
California The Big Bear Bald Eagle cam is the comfiest corner of the internet
Feb. 9, 2024
Bald eagles are one of the rare creatures that mate for life, only finding a new partner if their previous one dies.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2024
In recent years, bald eagles have charmed birdwatchers in the heart of New York City, and eagle cams have popped up at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., at U.S. Steel in Pennsylvania and in California's Big Bear Valley.
—CBS News, 25 Dec. 2024
That changed when Safa, of New York City, checked her pet cam and spotted Jet mischievously shaking the tree to loosen the star.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cam 
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Noun
In December, police body cam footage was released and showed officers interrogating Huger while her husband Ray Huger tried to find her documents.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
California The Big Bear Bald Eagle cam is the comfiest corner of the internet
Feb. 9, 2024
Bald eagles are one of the rare creatures that mate for life, only finding a new partner if their previous one dies.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2024
In recent years, bald eagles have charmed birdwatchers in the heart of New York City, and eagle cams have popped up at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., at U.S. Steel in Pennsylvania and in California's Big Bear Valley.
—CBS News, 25 Dec. 2024
That changed when Safa, of New York City, checked her pet cam and spotted Jet mischievously shaking the tree to loosen the star.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
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 21 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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