break camp

Idioms and Phrases

Take down a tent and pack up other gear; also, leave a place, move out. For example, The landlord has to return my rent deposit before I'll break camp . Originally camp denoted a military encampment, but by the mid-1500s the term had been transferred to temporary outdoor sites used by hunters and the like. By the 19th century, the current term was in use. Thus, “It is the hunter's rule to see that the fire is extinguished ... before breaking camp.” (F.H. Guillemard, Cruise of Marchesa I , 1886).