scamp

UK: /ˈskæmp/ US: /skæmp/ ,(skamp)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

scamp /skæmp/   n. [countable]

1. one who cheats another for his or her own profit.
2. a young person who enjoys mild teasing of another.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

scamp  (skamp), n. 

1. an unscrupulous and often mischievous person;
   rascal;
   rogue;
   scalawag.
2. a playful, mischievous, or naughty young person;
   upstart.
3. Fish a grouper, Mycteroperca phenax, of Florida: so called from its habit of stealing bait.

v.t. 

4. to do or perform in a hasty or careless manner:
   to scamp work.

• Old French escamper to decamp
• obsolete Dutch schampen to be gone
• obsolete scamp to travel about idly or for mischief, perh. 1775–85

scamp′er, n. 
scamp′ing•ly, adv. 
scamp′ish, adj. 
scamp′ish•ly, adv. 
scamp′ish•ness, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

scamp / skæmp/ noun

1. an idle mischievous person; rascal
2. a mischievous child
3. a dishonest or contemptible person; rogue; scoundrel

Etymology: 18th Century: from scamp (vb) to be a highway robber, probably from Middle Dutch schampen to decamp, from Old French escamper, from es- ex-¹ + -camper, from Latin campus field

ˈscampish adjective

scamp / skæmp/ verb

a less common word for skimp

ˈscamper noun