imp

1 of 3

noun

1
a
: a small demon : fiend
b
: a mischievous child : urchin
2
obsolete : shoot, bud
also : graft entry 1

imp

2 of 3

verb

imped; imping; imps

transitive verb

1
: to graft or repair (a wing, tail, or feather) with a feather to improve a falcon's flying capacity
2
: to equip with wings

imp

3 of 3

abbreviation

1
imperative
2
imperfect
3
imperial
4
import; imported

Examples of imp in a Sentence

Noun scooped up the little imp and took him to bed a story about a crumbling mansion infested with a brood of imps
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Tim Burton's film explores the border between life and the afterlife with some of the best in the biz, from Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin’s wholesome (and dead) homeowners to Winona Ryder's angsty teen to her ridiculous mother (Catherine O'Hara) to the imp with a limp (Michael Keaton). Gwen Ihnat, EW.com, 25 Sep. 2024 Imagine a mischievous imp lurking in the shadows, eager to eavesdrop on your whispers to the AI or peek at its replies. Moran Zavdi, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
Verb
Imping, her father had called this sort of frenzied picking. Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2017 See all Example Sentences for imp 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'imp.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English impe, from Old English impa, from impian to imp

Verb

Middle English, from Old English impian to graft, from Vulgar Latin *imputare, from Late Latin impotus grafted shoot, from Greek emphytos implanted, from emphyein to implant, from em- en- entry 2 + phyein to bring forth — more at be

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of imp was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near imp

Cite this Entry

“Imp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imp. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

imp

noun
ˈimp
1
: a small demon
2
: a mischievous child

Medical Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on imp

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