Campfire: Meaning, Examples, and Usage

Meaning 1：outdoor fire (Campfire)

Campfire 🔊

/ˈkæmp.faɪər/

A fire that people make outdoors, often for cooking, warmth, or to sit around together.

Campfire with people sitting around in forest at night

outdoor fire 🔊

➕

/ˈaʊt.dɔːr ˈfaɪər/

A fire built outdoors, typically used for cooking, warmth, or as a gathering point during camping or other outdoor activities.

📁 Category：Culture & History 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Compound of 'camp' (from Latin 'campus' meaning field) + 'fire' (Old English 'fyr').

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine a camp where everyone sits around a warm fire, sharing laughs and stories.

📖 Example

After the sun set, we all gathered around the campfire to roast marshmallows and share stories. 🔊 After the sun set, we all gathered around the campfire to roast marshmallows and share stories.

🔗 Collocations

campfire song – A song sung around a campfire

campfire story – A story told around a campfire

campfire cooking – Cooking food over a campfire

🔄 Synonyms

bonfire (n.) – A large outdoor fire, often for celebration, but sometimes used interchangeably with campfire.

fire pit (n.) – A designated area or structure for containing an outdoor fire.

hearth (n.) – A fireplace or area for a fire, especially indoors, but can refer to the central gathering place.

🚫 Antonyms

ice (n.) – Frozen water, opposite in temperature and state.

extinguisher (n.) – A device used to put out fires, representing the opposite action.

📖 Cultural Story

Campfires have been central to human social gatherings since prehistoric times, used for cooking, warmth, and storytelling. The word is a straightforward compound reflecting its literal meaning.