1
as in monkey
an appealingly mischievous person
those little scamps are always getting into trouble, but no one has the heart to punish them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
an insincere and ruthlessly ambitious scamp who was willing to do anything to win the reality show's grand prize
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to botch
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of scamp
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 24 Dec. 2025
McKelway, who wrote for the magazine from the nineteen-thirties to the sixties, specialized in true-crime stories, bringing to life a gallery of scamps and swindlers and impostors.
—David Grann, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for scamp
Noun
His best friend, Ellis (Taylor Uttley), is a scamp who regards even a new widow’s grief as an opportunity to seduce.
—Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 24 Dec. 2025
McKelway, who wrote for the magazine from the nineteen-thirties to the sixties, specialized in true-crime stories, bringing to life a gallery of scamps and swindlers and impostors.
—David Grann, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for scamp
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scamp
Noun
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And while the kids enjoy monkey spotting and fun activities, adults can indulge in fine dining, a spa treatment, and cultural experiences, all supported by personal ambassadors for a seamless stay.—
Chelsea Adams,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
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The location provides easy access to some of the most biodiverse locations in Costa Rica around the Osa Peninsula for those who want to get up close and personal with birds, monkeys, or sloths.—
Brandon Withrow,
Travel + Leisure,
14 June 2026
Noun
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Her bone-chilling performance earned her the MTV Movie Award for best villain, beating out the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis, Mike Myers, Willem Dafoe and Colin Farrell in her category.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
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This was my villain origin story.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Chisholm's followed with a liner off the base of the wall in right before scoring when second baseman Travis Bazzana botched a grounder.—
CBS New York Team,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
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Chisolm followed with a liner off the base of the wall in right before scoring when second baseman Travis Bazzana botched a grounder.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Noun
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But there are lots of potential devils in the details (otherwise there’d be little need for experimental reactors).—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
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The two vivid soloists were tenor Anthony León as the cocky troubadour and baritone Eleomar Cuello as the cocky devil.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Noun
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Shinnecock was still a brute of a test, but the red numbers on the white scoreboard were an unfamiliar site for this course.—
Doug Ferguson,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
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These brutes commonly exceed 50 pounds.—
Keith Sutton,
Outdoor Life,
18 June 2026
Verb
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For now, the press still sometimes bungled his name as Harry.—
Eric Moskowitz,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
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San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who polled at 5% in the CBS survey, accused Becerra of bungling the federal government’s response to COVID-19, mpox and the influx in child migrants under former President Joe Biden.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Not even the curmudgeonly Melvin can bring himself to harm the little rascal.—
Camille Perri,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
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My mother was a total gem but also a bit of a rascal.—
Catherine Pearson,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Then, one weekend about three years ago, Meledandri called with an idea — a Minion who sets out to make a monster movie.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
20 June 2026
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The women’s Cloudmonster Shoe fittingly packs a monster-sized amount of cushioning.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scamp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scamp. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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