camp follower

Idioms & Phrases

camp follower

  1. A civilian who follows or settles near a military camp, especially a prostitute who does so. For example, The recruits were told not to associate with camp followers. [Early 1800s]

  2. A person who sympathizes with a cause or group but does not join it. For example, She's only a camp follower so we can't count on her for a contribution.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature