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definitions

scamp

[ skamp ]
/ skæmp /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scamp ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an unscrupulous and often mischievous person; rascal; rogue; scalawag.
a playful, mischievous, or naughty young person; upstart.
a grouper, Mycteroperca phenax, of Florida: so called from its habit of stealing bait.

verb (used with object)

to do or perform in a hasty or careless manner: to scamp work.

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RELATED WORDS

liar, cheat, ruffian, villain, troublemaker, delinquent, mischief-maker, scoundrel, reprobate, hooligan, sneak, rogue, scalawag, shyster, fraud, trickster, rowdy, swindler, cheater, prankster

Nearby words

  1. scamander,
  2. scambaiting,
  3. scamillus,
  4. scammer,
  5. scammony,
  6. scamper,
  7. scampi,
  8. scamster,
  9. scamto,
  10. scan

Origin of scamp

1775–85; obsolete scamp to travel about idly or for mischief, perhaps < obsolete Dutch schampen to be gone < Old French escamper to decamp
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for scamp

British Dictionary definitions for scamp

scamp

1
/ (skæmp) /

noun

an idle mischievous person; rascal
a mischievous child
Derived Formsscampish, adjective

Word Origin for scamp

C18: from scamp (vb) to be a highway robber, probably from Middle Dutch schampen to decamp, from Old French escamper, from es- ex- 1 + -camper, from Latin campus field

verb

a less common word for skimp
Derived Formsscamper, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for scamp
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper