concentration camps

Noun

concentration camp (plural concentration camps)

1. A camp where troops are assembled, prior to combat or transport.
   • A concentration camp is a place, near the scene of intended operations or near an embarkation point, where troops are assembled for immediate use against the enemy or for transport to an over-sea theater of operations.1913, General Staff Corps, Field Service Regulations, United States Army - Page 223
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.
   • All Cubans (men, women, and children) were ordered to move into garrisoned Spanish towns or concentration camps.1927, Charles E. Chapman, A History of the Cuban Republic, IV.81
3. (figuratively) A situation of overcrowding and extremely harsh conditions.
   • The UN inspector stated that the Australian government's migrant detention facilities were in effect concentration camps.