a slider or roller attached to a rotating shaft to give a particular type of reciprocating motion to a part in contact with its profile
Word origin
C18: from Dutch kam comb
cam in British English2
(kæm)
noun
1. informal short for camera
verbWord forms: cams, camming or cammed
2. (intransitive)
to perform activities (esp of a sexual nature) in front of a webcam at the request of paying clients
Derived forms
cammer (ˈcammer)
noun
Cam in British English
(kæm)
noun
a river in E England, in Cambridgeshire, flowing through Cambridge to the River Ouse. Length: about 64 km (40 miles)
CAM in British English
abbreviation for
1.
complementary and alternative medicine
2.
computer-aided manufacture
3. botany
crassulacean acid metabolism: a form of photosynthesis, first described in crassulaceous plants, in which carbon dioxide is taken up only at night
4.
Cameroon (international car registration)
-cam in British English
combining form in countable noun
camera
webcam
CAM in American English
(kæm)
noun
computer-aided manufacturing
see also CAD/CAM
CAm in American English
Central America
Cam in American English1
(kæm)
river in EC England, flowing through Cambridge: 40 mi (64 km)
Cam in American English2
1.
Cambodia
2.
Cameroon
cam in American English
(kæm)
noun
a moving piece of machinery, as a wheel or projection on a wheel, that gives an eccentric rotation or a reciprocating motion to another wheel, a roller, a shaft, etc., or that receives such motion from it
Word origin
Du cam, orig., comb1
cam in Automotive Engineering
(kæm)
Word forms: (regular plural) cams
noun
(Automotive engineering: Vehicle components, Engine, transmission, and exhaust)
A cam is a shaped part in machinery such as an engine that rotates in order to cause another part to move or lift.
A circular cam is fitted off-center on the driving shaft and produces an oscillating movement inthe follower.
Cams are used to change rotary motion into either reciprocating motion or oscillatingmotion.
Displacing 3.6 liters, the engine has twin overhead cams and four valves per cylinder.
cam in Mechanical Engineering
(kæm)
Word forms: (regular plural) cams
noun
(Mechanical engineering: Machinery and components)
A cam is a sliding or rotating part of irregular profile that contacts another part and makes that part move in a backward and forward motion.
The rotating cam pushes the follower up, so as the cam rotates the follower moves up and down.
A cam is a rotating or sliding part in a mechanical linkage that is used to change rotarymotion into linear motion or vice versa.
A cam is a sliding or rotating part of irregular profile that contacts another part andmakes that part move in a backward and forward motion.
camshaft
Examples of 'cam' in a sentence
cam
More difficult to predict is the life expectancy of the cam belt.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Clio has a cam belt that needs replacing after a certain time or mileage.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In 2010 one of the riders was wearing a helmet cam.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The cam belt needs to be replaced and the servicing costs and MoT bills have increased noticeably.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
And why can't they make cam belts last longer?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
If your car has a cam belt engine, the belt may well be due for a change.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It should not be ignored, because if a cam belt snaps it can cause expensive damage to the engine.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
A shocked fellow biker filmed him on his helmet cam in London.
The Sun (2015)
Should I get the cam belt changed because of its age?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Your cam belt has lasted eight years and might last a couple more, but it is beyond its design life and could fail tomorrow.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Don't other manufacturers advise a cam belt change at 60,000 or more miles?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The cam belt would cost 500. Is it really necessary?
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
WE'VE given away thousands of pounds worth of car kit this year, but our most popular competition by far has been for a dash cam.
The Sun (2015)
The car's cam belt runs in engine oil, which means it will last the lifetime of the car.
The Sun (2012)
Cam belts keep the moving parts of your engine synchronised, and when they fail the repair can cost up to 5,000.
The Sun (2010)
I tried a 1.6, which has twin independent cam shaft timing.