imp

¹ American  

[imp] / ɪmp /

noun

1. a little devil or demon; an evil spirit.

2. a mischievous child.

   Synonyms:

   devil, brat, rascal, scamp

3. Archaic. a scion or offshoot of a plant or tree.

4. Archaic. an offspring.

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verb (used with object)

1. Falconry.

   1. to graft (feathers) into a wing.

   2. to furnish (a wing, tail, etc.) with feathers, as to make good losses or deficiencies and improve powers of flight.

2. Archaic. to add a piece to; mend or repair.

IMP ² American  

1. International Match Point.

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imp. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. in the first place.

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imp. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. imperative.

2. imperfect.

3. imperial.

4. impersonal.

5. implement.

6. import.

7. important.

8. imported.

9. importer.

10. imprimatur.

11. imprint.

12. improper.

13. improved.

14. improvement.

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Imp. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. Emperor.

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Imp. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. Empress.

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imp. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. imperative

2. imperfect

3. imperial

4. imprimatur

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Imp. ² British  

abbreviation

1. Imperator

2. Imperatrix

3. Imperial

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imp ³ British  

/ ɪmp /

noun

1. a small demon or devil; mischievous sprite

2. a mischievous child

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verb

1. (tr) falconry to insert (new feathers) into the stumps of broken feathers in order to repair the wing of a hawk or falcon

Etymology

Origin of imp¹

before 900; (noun) Middle English impe, Old English impa, impe shoot, graft < Late Latin impotus, imputus grafted shoot < Greek émphytos planted, implanted, verbal adjective of emphŷein to implant ( em- em- ² + phŷein to bring forth); (v.) Middle English impen to plant, graft, Old English impian, geimpian, derivative of the noun (compare Old High German impfōn, impitōn > German impfen to inoculate); sense “demon” < phrase imp of the devil

Origin of imp.³

From the Latin word imprīmīs

Origin of Imp.⁵

From the Latin word Imperātor

Origin of Imp.⁶

From the Latin word Imperātrīx

Explanation

An imp is a trouble maker — not a thug or a criminal, but a mischievous sort who might make prank phone calls or harass a substitute teacher. Impe is an Old English word meaning young plant shoot. It was eventually applied to the offspring of people and later used pejoratively in the sense of offspring of the devil. The devilish meaning remains, but an imp can also be any mischievous person, especially a small child. You might call the boy you babysit an imp if he's in the habit of playing tricks on you — like locking you out of the house.

Example Sentences

What consequential life experiences have I missed, taunting my eyeballs, indulging this social media imp turned experimental pugilist as he bumbles around the ring with has-beens and never-weres?

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025

In others, he’s an imp hiding within an ill-fitting costume of normalcy.

From Salon • Oct. 13, 2025

He works hard for his laughs, sometimes too hard, but he’s an endearing imp — an overwhelmed freelancer trying to survive the unforgiving gig economy of his age.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2025

The experienced tempter warns the imp not to let his subject actually believe in God or satanic powers.

From Washington Times • Oct. 29, 2023

As Jack shouted in surprise May dropped the imp, who instantly collected itself.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley