rascal

RAS-kuhl/ˈɹæskl̩/UKRAHS-kuhl/ˈɹɑːskl̩/

4 meanings of rascal

1
mischief makernouncountable
A person or animal that is cheeky and causes small trouble.
My little brother is a real rascal.
Those rascals ate all the cookies before dinner!
Similarscamp, imp, monkey, devil, troublemaker
2
cheatnouncountable
A person who is not honest and tricks other people.
The old trader was a rascal who cheated half the town.
Some rascal ran off with the money we raised for the school.
Similarscoundrel, rogue, crook, cheat, swindler
Note
3
gang membernoundialectalPapua New Guineacountable
A person who belongs to a gang of criminals.
Rascals stopped the truck on the highway and took the driver's money.
The police caught one rascal, but the rest of his gang got away into the hills.
Similarthug, gangster, criminal, hoodlum
Note

Less common meaning

4
low rankadjectivearchaic
Low in rank and belonging to the common crowd.
The king would not speak to the rascal crowd outside his castle.
The proud knight refused to fight a rascal foot soldier and waited for another knight.
Note

Practice

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Origin

From an Old French word meaning "rabble" or "outcast". At first it meant the lowest class of people; the meaning "dishonest person" came in the 1580s.