scamp

American  

[skamp] / skæmp /

noun

1. an unscrupulous and often mischievous person; rascal; rogue; scalawag.

2. a playful, mischievous, or naughty young person; upstart.

3. a grouper, Mycteroperca phenax, of Florida: so called from its habit of stealing bait.

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verb (used with object)

1. to do or perform in a hasty or careless manner.

   to scamp work.

scamp ¹ British  

/ skæmp /

noun

1. an idle mischievous person; rascal

2. a mischievous child

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scamp ² British  

/ skæmp /

verb

1. a less common word for skimp

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Other Word Forms

• scamper
  noun
• scampingly
  adverb
• scampish
  adjective
• scampishly
  adverb
• scampishness
  noun
• unscamped
  adjective

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

But for now he is a jovial Irish scamp, with the merest hint of a dark streak; where Sherlock comes from money, James, as he’s called here, is at school on a scholarship.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

Flamboyant and gregarious, Mr. Del Tredici cultivated a reputation as a beloved scamp who did what he wanted.

From New York Times • Nov. 18, 2023

Throughout his career, he delighted in being a newsroom scamp.

From Washington Post • Sep. 27, 2022

Is he the playful scamp who once gave an underling a piggyback ride after a rocket engine test?

From Seattle Times • Dec. 14, 2021

"Go to your room, you scamp you," Aunt Anne said, shaking him.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey