work camp

noun

1. a camp for prisoners sentenced to labor, especially to outdoor labor such as roadbuilding or farming.
2. a volunteer project in which members of a church, service organization, etc., work together in aid of some worthy cause.

work camp

noun

1. a camp set up for young people who voluntarily do manual work on a worthwhile project

Word History and Origins

Origin of work camp¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Abel is being held in a grim Japanese work camp, where he is tortured.

From Seattle Times

But he has to contend with being forced into a work camp, the loss of basic individual freedoms - and soldiers and rebels who try to force him to pick sides in a raging conflict.

From BBC

Lin gets away with the loot, but in a betrayal akin to “The Count of Monte Cristo,” Qian Lu turns on his friend, causing Lin to be sentenced to life at a grueling work camp.

From New York Times

They had said that it was only a work camp.

From Literature

When Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, Hungary, a German ally, sent men like his father to army work camps.

From New York Times