scamp
Americannoun
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an unscrupulous and often mischievous person; rascal; rogue; scalawag.
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a playful, mischievous, or naughty young person; upstart.
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a grouper, Mycteroperca phenax, of Florida: so called from its habit of stealing bait.
verb (used with object)
noun
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an idle mischievous person; rascal
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a mischievous child
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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scampinglyadverb
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scampishlyadverb
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scampishnessnoun
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scampishadjective
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scampernoun
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unscampedadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have scampedperfect
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has scampedperfect 3rd person singular
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am scampingprogressive 1st person singular
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scampingparticiple
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has been scampingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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scampssingular 3rd person
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have been scampingperfect progressive
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is scampingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are scampingprogressive
Past
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had scampedperfect
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were scampingprogressive plural
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scampedsimple
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scampedparticiple
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was scampingprogressive singular
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had been scampingperfect progressive
Future
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Still in his younger scamp days, George W. Bush lifted his pant leg to show off his cowboy boots and proudly declared that he was the black sheep of the family.
From New York Times • Sep. 8, 2022
He’s a scamp looking for approval, foolishly, it turns out, from his older brother, memorably played by Michael McKean.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2022
And I was exasperated when my firstborn started imitating the antics of that naughty scamp, particularly by upending her plate at the table.
From Washington Post • Mar. 16, 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
But the little scamp was nowhere to be found.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
