noun
imp
ihmp
noun
1
A small, mischievous supernatural creature, like a minor demon.
"The story's villain was a cackling imp with tiny horns."
2
A mischievous child.
"Their youngest is a real little imp."
How to Use Imp
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA small troublemaking creature or child — mischievous rather than truly evil.
Common pairings
little imp
mischievous imp
Word Forms
imped past tense, imps plural, imps plural, imps singular
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The story's villain was a cackling _____ with tiny horns.
Etymology
From Old English impian, "to graft" (originally referring to grafting a plant shoot), later coming to mean a child or offspring, and eventually a mischievous small creature.