imp

1 of 3

noun

ˈimp 

1

a

: a small demon : fiend

b

: a mischievous child : urchin

2

obsolete : shoot, bud

also : graft entry 1

imp

2 of 3

verb

imped; imping; imps

transitive verb

1

: to graft or repair (a wing, tail, or feather) with a feather to improve a falcon's flying capacity

2

: to equip with wings

imp

3 of 3

abbreviation

1

imperative

2

imperfect

3

imperial

4

import; imported

Synonyms

Noun

• devil
• hellion
• mischief
• monkey
• rapscallion
• rascal
• rogue
• scamp
• urchin

Examples of imp in a Sentence

Noun

scooped up the little imp and took him to bed

a story about a crumbling mansion infested with a brood of imps

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The son is his father’s fiendish double, an antic, self-loathing imp who, loudly proclaiming his adoration of Eli-Leizer, makes a mockery of him. —Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025

Combining animation and live action, the film continues the adventures of the magical imp Pumuckl. —Ed Meza, Variety, 13 Feb. 2025

Verb

Imping, her father had called this sort of frenzied picking. —Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English impe, from Old English impa, from impian to imp

Verb

Middle English, from Old English impian to graft, from Vulgar Latin *imputare, from Late Latin impotus grafted shoot, from Greek emphytos implanted, from emphyein to implant, from em- en- entry 2 + phyein to bring forth — more at be

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for imp

• blimp
• chimp
• crimp
• limp
• pimp
• shrimp
• skimp
• wimp

Kids Definition

imp

noun

ˈimp

1

: a small demon

2

: a mischievous child

Medical Definition

IMP

noun

ˌī-ˌem-ˈpē 

: inosinic acid