1
as in monkeys
an appealingly mischievous person those little scamps are always getting into trouble, but no one has the heart to punish them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in villains
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person an insincere and ruthlessly ambitious scamp who was willing to do anything to win the reality show's grand prize
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scamps
Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026 McKelway, who wrote for the magazine from the nineteen-thirties to the sixties, specialized in true-crime stories, bringing to life a gallery of scamps and swindlers and impostors. —David Grann, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025 Season 2 brings viewers back to Nevermore Academy, the gothic high school for supernatural scamps that Wednesday enrolled in last time around, and subsequently helped save from Season 1 villains Tyler (Hunter Doohan) and Marilyn Thornhill (Christina Ricci, a one-time Wednesday herself). —Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
The history of The Little Rascals dates back to the 1920s, when a series of short films called our Our Gang introduced audiences to lovable scamps like Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, and Porky. —Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026 McKelway, who wrote for the magazine from the nineteen-thirties to the sixties, specialized in true-crime stories, bringing to life a gallery of scamps and swindlers and impostors. —David Grann, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025 Season 2 brings viewers back to Nevermore Academy, the gothic high school for supernatural scamps that Wednesday enrolled in last time around, and subsequently helped save from Season 1 villains Tyler (Hunter Doohan) and Marilyn Thornhill (Christina Ricci, a one-time Wednesday herself). —Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scamps
Noun
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In fact, the German naturalist and polymath has been described as the person with more species – from penguins and monkeys to an orchid – and places named after him than any other human.— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2026
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These days, Punch seldom relies on the plushie and instead can be found socializing with other monkeys, according to Yasunaga.— Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There are flying cars held at bay by the power of telekenesis and Park teleporting, as the crew clumsily accept their new ‘hero’ roles and attempt to take on the villains threatening the peace of Haeseong City.— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2026
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The playoffs have delivered their share of Knicks villains over the years, from Reggie Miller to Joel Embiid to Tyrese Haliburton.— Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gentleman thief Sir Charles Lytton (David Niven) circles the prize while Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) bungles the pursuit with sublime obliviousness.— Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Other propaganda compared Native people to buffalo, cats, dogs, and devils.— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
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There are sounds and shadows in the forest; the Devil, or devils, may be walking the earth.— Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That’s happened in several Mid Atlantic rivers, but in the absence of larger brutes like blues and flathead, channels will thrive and can break the 15-pound mark.— Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 9 Apr. 2026
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In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-skinned developing world.— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Continue reading … FACT CHECK – Washington Post botches Israel-Gaza history leading to major correction.— , FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This notion was based on outdated presumptions of hillforts as being occupied by violent, prehistoric savages.— News Desk, Artforum, 10 Apr. 2026
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Or Irish, in a time when they were seen as savages by the Englishmen?— Arushi Jacob, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Sparks muffs the punt and South Alabama recovers on Texas State's 39-yard line.— Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 29 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scamps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/scamps. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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