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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scamp
Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 24 June 2024
Dogs were the reigning scamps in most households and were twice as likely as cats to cause damage.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 9 July 2024
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
Eventually, neighborhood scamps dropped down into the park's stone drainage channel, built in 1934 as a New Deal project and still the park's distinguishing feature, and followed it underground.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 24 June 2024
Dogs were the reigning scamps in most households and were twice as likely as cats to cause damage.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 9 July 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
See All Example Sentences for scamp
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scamp
Noun
-
Both Judy and the monkey lost their mothers at young ages, except Dr. Watson copes by caring for people while Judy pushes them away.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
1 June 2025
-
High-profile cases in recent years include a monkey torture ring originating in Indonesia which was exposed and dismantled in 2023.—
Rebecca Wright,
CNN Money,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
Of course, everyone has their own favorite Bond villain.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 May 2025
-
But the new villain is smarter than the IMF assumed, and the mission has disastrous results.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
24 May 2025
Verb
-
That’s where arrest reports say Doral residents Manuel Lazzaro and Wilson Muñoz Suarez, neither of whom holds a Florida license, botched surgeries last fall.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
1 June 2025
-
The next inning, Simon straight-up botched a grounder from Wade and then threw wildly on attempt to turn a double play on a bouncer from Tatis.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 May 2025
Noun
-
Assign a devil’s advocate to challenge views and ensure richer discussions. 6.—
Nuala Walsh,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
-
Mahnaz’s son is a Tasmanian devil spinning his ticking time bomb energy into entrepreneurial pursuits (running a gambling ring at school), bullying classmates and yelling at any adult that interferes with his forcefield.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
Meanwhile, Conner was still battling his brute of a blue cat.—
Bob McNally,
Outdoor Life,
21 May 2025
-
Then comes the arrival of General Zod and his two primary compatriots – a warrior woman and a silent hulking brute – who do battle with Superman around the city, causing much destruction and threatening the life of Lois Lane and her Daily Planet coworkers.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Anyone who watched Anderson and president Michael Crow bungle their way through a multi-year football crisis and show little regard for diehard fans was understandably skeptical of Crow’s decision to hire from within.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
22 May 2025
-
Further investigation showed that the department bungled follow-up care too, failing to investigate the sources of lead exposure for some children.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN Money,
9 May 2025
Noun
-
Alex has two choices: Linger at Union Station and see what rascals cross her path, or take up an invitation to join her British guardian angels at their home in Winnetka.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2025
-
After their car is stolen, the group of rascals must resort to some hilarious hijinks to get past the finish line.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The message of Bring Her Back may be that grief is the real monster.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
30 May 2025
-
But what’s interesting here is that Armstrong doesn’t write Venis as a one-dimensional monster.—
Andrew Wallenstein,
Variety,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scamp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scamp. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share