imp
noun
a little devil or demon; an evil spirit.
imp
1 American
[imp]
/ ɪmp /
noun
-
imps
plural
verb (used with object)
-
imps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
imped,
past participle, past
-
imping
present participle
-
Falconry.
-
to graft (feathers) into a wing.
-
to furnish (a wing, tail, etc.) with feathers, as to make good losses or deficiencies and improve powers of flight.
-
-
Archaic. to add a piece to; mend or repair.
IMP
2
American
imp.
3
American
abbreviation
imp.
4
American
abbreviation
-
imperative.
-
imperfect.
-
imperial.
-
impersonal.
-
implement.
-
import.
-
important.
-
imported.
-
importer.
-
imprimatur.
-
imprint.
-
improper.
-
improved.
-
improvement.
Imp.
5
American
abbreviation
Imp.
6
American
abbreviation
imp.
1
British
abbreviation
-
imperative
-
imperfect
-
imperial
-
imprimatur
Imp.
2
British
abbreviation
-
Imperator
-
Imperatrix
-
Imperial
imp
3
British
/ ɪmp /
noun
-
a small demon or devil; mischievous sprite
-
a mischievous child
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
impsimple
-
impssimple
-
have impedperfect
-
has impedperfect
-
am impingprogressive
-
are impingprogressive
-
is impingprogressive
-
have been impingperfect progressive
-
has been impingperfect progressive
Past
-
impedsimple
-
had impedperfect
-
was impingprogressive
-
were impingprogressive
-
had been impingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing imp
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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
“Once a week they do,” said Inej, her little imp horns bobbing along with her head.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
Impala Platinum IMP -1.50%decrease; down pointing triangle reported surging earnings for its fiscal year, buoyed by higher precious-metal prices and the reversal of prior write-downs at its Rustenburg operations in South Africa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Audrey Fix Schaefer, spokeswoman for IMP, which runs the Anthem and the 9:30 Club, among other venues, said that the company would keep checking vaccine cards for now.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 15, 2022
In 1969, Heart led a small team of talented young engineers to build the Interface Message Processor, or IMP, a computer whose special function was to switch data among the computers on the Arpanet.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 29, 2018
Greece also doesn’t have so-called Gram-negative bacteria with gene mutations known as NDM, IMP and OXA-48, which are common elsewhere, Pournaras said.
From BusinessWeek ● Feb. 9, 2012
This tablet has been the subject of much controversy, and it bears the following inscription:— IMP.
From Roumania Past and Present by James Samuelson
Paradyse of Daynty Devises, b.l. extremely scarce, imp. by Henry Disle, 1576, 4to.
From Bibliomania; or Book-Madness A Bibliographical Romance by Thomas Frognall Dibdin
Aual, imp. s. fell, cause to fall, S; see A-fallen.
From A Concise Dictionary of Middle English From A.D. 1150 to 1580 by A. L. (Anthony Lawson) Mayhew
"Zan" as noun=woman; as imp. of "zadan"=strike, kill, whose negative is "mazan."
From The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 15 by Sir Richard Francis Burton
Here begynneth the Temple of Glass, imp. by Wynkyn de Worde.
From Bibliomania; or Book-Madness A Bibliographical Romance by Thomas Frognall Dibdin
Popular Edition, small crown 8vo., cloth, 3s. 6d.; imp. 16mo., cloth, 6s.
From Our Journey to the Hebrides by Elizabeth Robins Pennell
"On your feet, Imp. My lady wants to see you."
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
“My pleasure, Imp. And now, we make you one o’ us.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Imp. des Sciences de St. Petersburg, t. ii.
From The Voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe, Volume I and Volume II by Alexander Leslie
Imp. 8vo, with 70 Coloured Plates, £5 5s.
From Schweigger on Squint A Monograph by Dr. C. Schweigger by C. Schweigger
Imp. de Lyon' tome 2 1852 pages 95, 114.
From The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication — Volume 1 by Charles Darwin
Plus, Matt Berry as a talking sword, and various imps, witches, dragons and goblins, an exploited race among whom revolution, or at least a demand for health care, may be stirring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2021
With a broad, cherubic face, dimpled chin, unruly hair and a charismatic presence described as “gnomelike,” Mr. Pollard excelled at playing imps, half-wits and outright weirdos.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 22, 2019
The team will take part in a series of misadventures where they will encounter “ogres, sprites, harpies, imps, trolls, walruses, and lots of human fools.”
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2017
Mr Snowden talked about GCHQ's "Smurf Suite", a collection of secret intercept capabilities individually named after the little blue imps of Belgian cartoon fame.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2015
There were more than twenty of the big imps, and ten times that many small ones.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
He specifically spoke about Hoggle’s “thought disorder,” a condition common among those with schizophrenia that can imped their ability to communicate.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 23, 2022
Possibly he shared his master's belief that "even the best translation is for mere necessity but an evil imped wing to fly withal, or a heavy stump leg of wood to go withal."
From Early Theories of Translation by Flora Ross Amos
Thou hadst in the forgotten crowd Of common beauties lived unknown, Had not my verse extolled thy name, And with it imped the wings of Fame.
From The Home Book of Verse — Volume 2 by Burton Egbert Stevenson
"I have joined the wing, father, and I have imped the feathers; but I fear it will be Christmas ere she can fly again."
From Sir Nigel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
To the end that you may not faile of this worke of imping, you must principally take heed, not to ouer-cleaue the Stockes of your Trees.
From A New Orchard And Garden or, The best way for planting, grafting, and to make any ground good, for a rich Orchard: Particularly in the North and generally for the whole kingdome of England by William Lawson
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