scamp
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scamp¹
- /ˈskæmp/
- /ˈskeə̯mp/
- /ˈskɛə̯mp/
Rhymes with -æmp
Where it comes from
From Middle Dutch schampen (“slip away”), from Old French escamper (“to run away, to make one's escape”), from Vulgar Latin *excampāre. Compare escape.
noun scamps
-
A rascal, swindler, or rogue; a ne'er-do-well.
"He is a scamp, he is and it isn't difficult to find his tracks and signs of his reckless shooting, for he can never wait, like other folks, till the birds have had a good start at their play."
Similar: swindler, rogue, agitator, bad boy, bad news, bear, beggar, bhoy, blackguard, booger, boot boy, bovver boy
- A mischievous person, especially a playful, impish youngster. My nephew is a little scamp who likes to leave lighted firecrackers under the lawnchairs of his dozing elders.
scamp²
- /ˈskæmp/
- /ˈskeə̯mp/
- /ˈskɛə̯mp/
Rhymes with -æmp
Where it comes from
Perhaps related to sense 1, but influenced by the later attested skimp; however, compare Icelandic skamta (“to dole out, to stint”), which is related to skammur (“short”).
verb scamps · scamping · scamped
- To skimp; to do something in a skimpy or slipshod fashion. 1884, Samuel Smiles, Men of Invention and Industry His work was always first-rate. There was no scamping about it. Everything that he did was thoroughly good and honest.
scamp³
- /ˈskæmp/
- /ˈskeə̯mp/
- /ˈskɛə̯mp/
Rhymes with -æmp
noun scamps
- A preliminary design sketch. It did not matter that the scamp (simple illustrative line-drawing) it contained could have been done in the pub the night before.
Translations
Every language
noun rascal, swindler
| 日本語 | 悪党 akutō, 悪漢 akkan |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 惡棍 /恶棍 ègùn, 流氓 liúmáng |
| Deutsch | Gauner, Schuft, Halunke, Schwindler, Bösewicht, Schurke |
| Italiano | manigoldo, canaglia, birbante |
| Română | ticălos, canalie |
| Русский | негодя́й negodjáj, мерза́вец merzávec, подле́ц podléc |
noun mischievous youngster
| 日本語 | 茶目 chame |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 小鬼 xiǎoguǐ |
| Português | pestinha |
| Français | chenapan, galopin, garnement, morpion, moustre, sacripant |
| Deutsch | Schlingel, Schlawiner, Lümmel, Frechdachs, Frechling, Strolch |
| Română | ștrengar, pușlama |
| Русский | шалу́н šalún, пострелёнок postreljónok, чертёнок čertjónok, бесёнок besjónok, дьяволёнок dʹjavoljónok |
| עברית | מַזִּיק mazík |
verb 1. To skimp; to do something in a skimpy or slipshod fashion
| Deutsch | pfuschen |
|---|
Talk about this word "scamp." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/scamp. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. scamp. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/scamp "scamp." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/scamp.Cite this
@misc{scamp_2026,
title = {scamp},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/scamp},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
