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

scamander, scambaiting, scamillus, scammer, scammony, scamp, scamper, scampi, scamster, scamto, 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 (1 of 2)

scamp

1
/ (skæmp) /

noun

an idle mischievous person; rascal
a mischievous child

Derived Forms

scampish, 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

British Dictionary definitions for scamp (2 of 2)

scamp

2
/ (skæmp) /

verb

a less common word for skimp

Derived Forms

scamper, 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