Phrase guide

concentration camp

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A camp where troops are assembled, prior to combat or transport.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • 1930, Winston S. Churchill, My Early Life, Chapter XIV The 21st Lancers... ...journey forward by nine days' march to the advanced concentration camp just north of the Shabluka Cataract.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A camp where large numbers of people, especially political prisoners, prisoners of war, refugees etc., are detained for the purpose of confining them in one place, typically with inadequate or inhumane facilities.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A situation of overcrowding and extremely harsh conditions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • The UN inspector stated that the Australian government's migrant detention facilities were in effect concentration camps.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a penal camp where political prisoners or prisoners of war are confined (usually under harsh conditions)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stockade

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: camp

Narrower terms: death camp, Auschwitz, Belsen, Buchenwald, Dachau

5

noun

Meaning 5

a situation characterized by crowding and extremely harsh conditions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: misery, wretchedness, miserableness

History

Etymology

From concentration + camp. In later use partly after German Konzentrationslager, itself a calque of the English term.

Across languages

Translations

91 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: konsentrasiekamp — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Albanian: kamp përqendrimi — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Arabic: مُعَسْكَر اِعْتِقَال (muʕaskar iʕtiqāl) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Arabic: مُعْتَقَل (muʕtaqal) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Armenian: համակենտրոնացման ճամբար (hamakentronacʻman čambar) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Azerbaijani: konsentrasiya düşərgəsi — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Azerbaijani: həbs düşərgələri — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Azerbaijani: konslager — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Belarusian: канцэнтрацы́йны ла́гер (kancentracýjny láhjer) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Belarusian: канцла́гер (kancláhjer) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Belarusian: канцэнтрацы́йны ля́гер (kancentracýjny ljáhjer) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Belarusian: канцля́гер (kancljáhjer) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Bulgarian: концентрацио́нен ла́гер (koncentraciónen láger) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Bulgarian: ко́нцла́гер (kóncláger) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Catalan: camp de concentració — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Chinese Cantonese: 集中營 /集中营 (zaap6 zung1 jing4) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Chinese Mandarin: 集中營 /集中营 (jízhōngyíng) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Czech: koncentrační tábor — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Czech: koncentrák — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Danish: koncentrationslejr — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Danish: udryddelseslejr — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Dutch: concentratiekamp — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Esperanto: koncentrejo — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Estonian: koonduslaager — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Faroese: týningarlega — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Finnish: keskitysleiri — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • French: camp de concentration — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • West-Frisian: konsintraasjekamp — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Galician: campo de concentración — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Georgian: საკონცენტრაციო ბანაკი (saḳoncenṭracio banaḳi) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • German: Konzentrationslager — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • German: KZ — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Greek: στρατόπεδο συγκέντρωσης (stratópedo sygkéntrosis) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Haitian Creole: kan konsantrasyon — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Hebrew: מחנה ריכוז \ מַחֲנֵה רִכּוּז (makhané rikúz) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Hindi: नज़रबंदी शिविर (nazarbandī śivir) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Hindi: बंदी शिविर (bandī śivir) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Hungarian: koncentrációs tábor — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Icelandic: útrýmingarbúðir — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Indonesian: kamp konsentrasi — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Irish: campa géibhinn — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Irish: sluachampa géibhinn — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Italian: campo di concentramento — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Japanese: 強制収容所 (kyōsei shūyōjo) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Kazakh: концентрациялық лагерь (konsentrasiälyq lager) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Kazakh: концлагерь (konslager) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Khmer: បន្ទាយផ្ដុំជន (bɑɑbɑntiəy phdom cŭən) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Korean: 강제수용소 (gangjesuyongso) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Korean: 정치범 수용소 (jeongchibeom suyongso) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Kyrgyz: концлагерь (kontslager) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Lao: ຄ້າຍກັກກັນ (khāi kak kan) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Latvian: koncentrācijas nometne — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Lithuanian: koncentracijos stovykla — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Macedonian: концентрацио́нен логор (koncentraciónen logor) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Malay: kem tahanan — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Norwegian Bokmål: konsentrasjonsleir — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Norwegian Bokmål: utryddelsesleir — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: konsentrasjonsleir — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: utryddingsleir — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Iranian Persian: اُرْدوگاهِ کارِ اِجْباری (ordugâh-e kâr-e ejbâri) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Polish: obóz koncentracyjny — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Polish: kacet — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Portuguese: campo de concentração — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Romanian: lagăr de concentrare — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Russian: концла́герь (konclágerʹ) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Russian: концентрацио́нный ла́герь (koncentraciónnyj lágerʹ) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Scottish Gaelic: campa bàis — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Serbo-Croatian: концентрациони логор — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Serbo-Croatian: koncentracioni logor — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Slovak: koncentračný tábor — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Slovak: koncentrák m colloquial — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Slovene: koncentracijsko taborišče — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Spanish: campo de concentración — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Spanish: campamento de internamiento — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Spanish: concentracionario — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Swedish: koncentrationsläger — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Swedish: utrotningsläger — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Tajik: лагерҳои консентратсионӣ (lagerho-yi konsentratsioni) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Thai: ค่ายกักกัน (kâai-gàk-gan) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Turkish: toplama kampı — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Turkmen: konslager — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Ukrainian: концентраці́йний та́бір (koncentracíjnyj tábir) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Ukrainian: концта́бір (konctábir) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Urdu: بیگار کَیمْپ (begār kaimp) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Uyghur: يىغىۋېلىش لاگېرى (yighiwëlish lagëri) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Uyghur: جازا لاگېرى (jaza lagëri) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Uyghur: توپلاش لاگېرى (toplash lagëri) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Uzbek: kontsentratsiyon lager — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Uzbek: kontslager — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Vietnamese: trại tập trung — camp where large numbers of persons are detained
  • Yiddish: קאַצעט (katset) — camp where large numbers of persons are detained