scamp

1 of 2

noun

1
2
: an impish or playful young person
scampish adjective

scamp

2 of 2

verb

scamped; scamping; scamps

transitive verb

: to perform or deal with in a hasty, neglectful, or imperfect manner

Examples of scamp in a Sentence

Noun those little scamps are always getting into trouble, but no one has the heart to punish them an insincere and ruthlessly ambitious scamp who was willing to do anything to win the reality show's grand prize
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Because a leathery little scamp like E.T. is lovable only in the uninhibited mind of a child; fear, distrust, and paranoia are born of experience and disappointment. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 9 Nov. 2023 Once, Rose was seen by most as a loveable scamp. Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 26 Jan. 2022 Byer has huge lovable-scamp energy and was definitely raised on the TGIF programming block, but the execution did her dirty. Vulture, 16 Aug. 2022 Eventually, a secret map to the fantastical dreamworld of Slumberland connects the girl to Flip, a lovable scamp who becomes her partner and guide on a journey to hopefully find her father once again. Andy Meek, BGR, 16 Nov. 2022 Here, Davis' rambunctious little scamp is back front and center — hanging with his Endor bestie Cindel, showing off his flawless English, burning his butt at one point… all the good stuff. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 18 Aug. 2022 As the core of the show, Will is more or less the same: a charming, charismatic, basketball-loving scamp whose mouth always gets him into trouble. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 14 Feb. 2022 Davy Jones, a British vocalist, was the cute scamp; Micky Dolenz, the drummer and primary lead singer, was the wild jokester; and Peter Tork, the bass player, was the lovable dim bulb. New York Times, 10 Dec. 2021 One is a queen, one is a baker, one is a mischievous scamp. Rachel Handler, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2021
Verb
While its individual characters feel largely interchangeable, the movie hums with life and pleasure when Borowczyk lets his nuns twirl around the chapel in a painterly tableau and scamp through the convent. Elle Carroll, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2021 Sunshine scamps: The Florida Project is a delighful, poignant, dark-and-light movie about kids living on the seedy side of Disney. Rebecca Onion, Slate Magazine, 6 Oct. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scamp.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

obsolete scamp to roam about idly

Verb

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1808, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of scamp was in 1808

Dictionary Entries Near scamp

Cite this Entry

“Scamp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scamp. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

scamp

noun
ˈskamp

More from Merriam-Webster on scamp

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