Meaning & use
scamp
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Meanings
nouncountableold-fashionedhumorous
A playful, naughty person, usually a child, whose mischief is more charming than harmful.
Grammar: Has a plural: scamps. Used warmly, often when speaking about a child.
Patterns
- a little scamp
That little scamp has hidden my slippers again.
The scamp grinned and ran off with the last cookie.
Her grandson is a lovable scamp who never stays out of trouble.
nouncountableold-fashioned
A person who is dishonest or cheeky, but in a minor way.
Grammar: Slightly stronger than the first sense, but still not seriously critical.
Patterns
- an old scamp
The old scamp talked his way into a free meal at the inn.
He is a bit of a scamp when it comes to paying his debts.
verbtransitivearchaicBritish
To do a job carelessly or without enough effort, often by using less material or time than needed.
Grammar: Takes an object: the builder scamped the work.
Patterns
- scamp the work
The workers scamped the repairs, and the roof leaked within a month.
Do not scamp your homework just because it is late.
Word forms
| plural | scamps |
|---|
Common combinations
- cheeky scamp
- The cheeky scamp stuck out his tongue and laughed.
- lovable scamp
- The dog was a lovable scamp who chewed every shoe.
- little scamp
- Come here, you little scamp!
- young scamp
- The young scamp climbed over the garden wall.
- charming scamp
- He was a charming scamp who could talk his way out of anything.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rascal
- Rascal is very close but can also describe an adult who cheats, whereas scamp stays mostly playful.
- rogue
- Rogue suggests a more clever, dishonest person, often with charm, and is stronger than scamp.
- imp
- Imp is used for a small, mischievous child and suggests a magical or teasing quality.
- monkey
- Monkey is a casual, affectionate word for a mischievous child, used more in speech than in writing.
Opposites
Word family
- scamper verb
- to run quickly and lightly, like a small child or animal
Commonly confused: scamp or scam? scamp or scampi?
scamp vs scam
A scam is a dishonest scheme to cheat people of money, which is much more serious than a scamp's harmless pranks.
scamp vs scampi
Scampi is a dish of shrimp or small lobsters, and is not related in meaning to scamp.
Practice
The boy was a lovable ______ who was always hiding his sister's toys as a joke.
Choose one answer.
A scamp is a playful, mischievous person. A scam is a dishonest scheme, scamper is a verb meaning to run, and scandal is a shocking event.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “scamp”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.