scamp

1 of 2

noun

ˈskamp 

1

: rascal, rogue

2

: an impish or playful young person

scampish

ˈskam-pish 

adjective

scamp

2 of 2

verb

scamped; scamping; scamps

transitive verb

: to perform or deal with in a hasty, neglectful, or imperfect manner

Synonyms

Noun

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

Examples of scamp in a Sentence

Noun

those little scamps are always getting into trouble, but no one has the heart to punish them

an insincere and ruthlessly ambitious scamp who was willing to do anything to win the reality show's grand prize

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The suave scamp buoys a ship taking on water, and the second and third episodes (of the eight-episode first season) pick up speed as their imagination balloons (thanks, in part, to director David Lowery). —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 2 Dec. 2024

Silvio Berlusconi, that lovable scamp, made the sign behind the back of the Spanish foreign minister, Josep Piqué, at an official picture-taking of the European Union in 2002. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 2 Dec. 2024

Verb

While its individual characters feel largely interchangeable, the movie hums with life and pleasure when Borowczyk lets his nuns twirl around the chapel in a painterly tableau and scamp through the convent. —Elle Carroll, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2021

Sunshine scamps: The Florida Project is a delighful, poignant, dark-and-light movie about kids living on the seedy side of Disney. —Rebecca Onion, Slate Magazine, 6 Oct. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Noun

obsolete scamp to roam about idly

Verb

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1808, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1837, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

scamp

noun

ˈskamp

: rascal sense 2