Word · CEFR C1 · Frequency #22659
imp
顽童；小淘气
A playful, mischievous person, especially a child.
- 1.
Printer.
印刷工。
- 2.
A small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature, somewhat comparable to a demon but smaller and less powerful, formerly regarded as the child of the devil or a demon (see sense 3.2).
一种小而淘气的精灵或恶毒的超自然生物,类似但比恶魔小且力量弱,旧时被认为是魔鬼或恶魔之子。
- 3.
(folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous
民间传说中有点调皮的小精灵
- 4.
A baby Tasmanian devil.
袋獾幼崽。
- 5.
one who is playfully mischievous
爱调皮捣蛋的人
小恶魔；小精灵；小妖精；小袋獾；打印机；印刷工；印刷工。；一种小而淘气的精灵或恶毒的超自然生物,类似但比恶魔小且力量弱,旧时被认为是魔鬼或恶魔之子。
In use
The little imp hid his sister's toys.
The imps in the story are always causing trouble.
He's a mischievous imp, always playing pranks on others.
be an imp
用于描述好恶作剧的小孩或小精灵。
He is such an imp when he plays tricks on his sister.
他捉弄妹妹时真是个顽童。
like an imp
比喻调皮的行为举止。
She smiled like an imp after hiding the remote control.
她把遥控器藏起来后，像个顽童一样笑了。
imp of [noun]
常与mischief连用，表示顽皮的小精灵。
The story features an imp of mischief who causes havoc in the village.
Connections
Collocations
- little imp
- 小淘气鬼，小顽童
- Come here, you little imp! Who painted the cat?过来，你这个小淘气鬼！谁给猫涂了颜色？
- mischievous imp
- 淘气的小精灵；捣蛋鬼
- The mischievous imp put a toad in my boot.那个捣蛋鬼往我靴子里放了一只癞蛤蟆。
- imp of mischief
- 恶作剧的淘气包
- My brother was an imp of mischief from the moment he could walk.我弟弟从会走路起就是个恶作剧的淘气包。
Idioms & figurative uses
- little imp
- 小淘气鬼，小捣蛋You little imp, what have you done now?你这个小淘气鬼，现在又干什么了？
- imp of the perverse
- 逆反心理；明知故犯的冲动The imp of the perverse made him open the box he was told to leave alone.逆反心理驱使他打开了那个被告知不要去碰的盒子。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
想象一个小鬼在印刷机（printer）旁捣蛋，imp 就是那种小淘气、小恶魔的形象。
Context & Register
语域：mixed 常见场景：folklore and fairy tales、informal talk about a mischievous child、wildlife or zoology contexts imp 的语域随义项变化：指神话或民间传说中的小精灵、小恶魔时，多用于童话、奇幻作品或民俗描述，语感偏中性且略带古雅；指淘气小孩时，通常用于非正式口语，带有亲昵或戏谑的意味；指袋獾幼崽时，则常见于动物饲养或科普类的正式文本。具体用法请结合语境判断。
Grammar Note
可数名词，复数形式为imps
Pronunciation & Spelling
All six words rhyme with /ɪmp/: chimp, limp, blimp, skimp, shrimp, pimp. Beware lookalikes that start with imp-, such as important /ɪmˈpɔːtənt/ and impossible /ɪmˈpɒsəbəl/, which share /ɪm/ but do not rhyme with imp.
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, OCTANOVE, WIKTIONARY.