noun

mischief

mischief, trouble, naughtiness, harm

The children are always up to some mischief.

The children are always up to some mischief.

He has a look of mischief in his eyes.

He has a look of mischief in his eyes.

to be up to mischief to be secretly planning something naughty The kitten is always up to mischief.

to get into mischief to start behaving badly Try to stay out of mischief.

Synonyms: trouble, naughtiness, pranks

From Old French 'meschief' (bad result), from 'mes-' (badly) + 'chief' (head, end).

Think of 'mischief' as what a 'chief' of 'misses' (mistakes) would cause. Imagine a little leader of pranks.

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.