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Webster 1913 Edition

Mischief

Mis′chief

(mĭs′chĭf)
,
Noun.
[OE.
meschef
bad result, OF.
meschief
; pref.
mes-
(L.
minus
less) +
chief
end, head, F.
chef
chief. See
Minus
, and
Chief
.]
1.
Harm; damage; esp., disarrangement of order; trouble or vexation caused by human agency or by some living being, intentionally or not; often, calamity, mishap; trivial evil caused by thoughtlessness, or in sport.
Chaucer.
Thy tongue deviseth
mischiefs
.
Ps. lii. 2.
The practice whereof shall, I hope, secure me from many
mischiefs
.
Fuller.
2.
Cause of trouble or vexation; trouble.
Milton.
The
mischief
was, these allies would never allow that the common enemy was subdued.
Swift.
To be in mischief
,
to be doing harm or causing annoyance.
–
To make mischief
,
to do mischief, especially by exciting quarrels.
–
To play the mischief
,
to cause great harm; to throw into confusion.
[Colloq.]
Syn. – Damage; harm; hurt; injury; detriment; evil; ill.
–
Mischief
,
Damage
,
Harm
. Damage is an injury which diminishes the value of a thing; harm is an injury which causes trouble or inconvenience; mischief is an injury which disturbs the order and consistency of things. We often suffer damage or harm from accident, but mischief always springs from perversity or folly.

Mis′chief

,
Verb.
T.
To do harm to.
[Obs.]
Milton.

Webster 1828 Edition

Mischief

MIS'CHIEF

, n.
1.
Harm; hurt; injury; damage; evil, whether intended or not. A new law is made to remedy the mischief.
2.
Intentional injury; harm or damage done by design.
Thy tongue deviseth mischief. Ps.52.
3.
Ill consequence; evil; vexatious affair.
The mischief was, these allies would never allow that the common enemy was subdued.

MIS'CHIEF

,
Verb.
T.
To hurt; to harm; to injure.

Definition 2024

mischief

mischief

English

Noun

mischief ‎(countable and uncountable, plural mischiefs)

  1. Petty annoyance:
    1. (uncountable) Conduct that playfully causes petty annoyance.
      Drink led to mischief.‎
    2. (uncountable) Inclination to cause annoyance or trouble.
      She had mischief in her heart.‎
    3. (countable) An annoying action.
      John's mischief, tying his shoelaces together, irked George at first.‎
  2. (archaic) Harm or injury:
    1. (uncountable) Harm or trouble caused by an agent or brought about by a particular cause.
      Sooner or later he'll succeed in doing some serious mischief.‎
    2. (countable) An injury or an instance of harm or trouble caused by a person or other agent or cause.
      It may end in her doing a great mischief to herself—and perhaps to others too.‎
  3. (archaic) Cause or agent of annoyance, harm, or injury:
    1. (countable) A cause or agent of annoyance, harm or injury,
      • 1753, Samuel Richardson, The History of Sir Charles Grandison:
        To die like a man of honour, Sir Hargrave, you must have lived like one. You should be sure of your cause. But these pistols are too ready a mischief. Were I to meet you in your own way, Sir Hargrave, I should not expect, that a man so enraged would fire his over my head, as I should be willing to do mine over his. Life I would not put upon the perhaps involuntary twitch of a finger.
      1. especially, a person who causes mischief.
        • 1993, Carlos Parada, Genealogic Guide to Greek Mythology, page 71:
          Epimetheus was scatter-brained and a mischief to men for having taken the woman [Pandora] that Zeus had formed.
  4. (collective) A group or a pack of rats.
    • 2015, Rachel Smith, John Davidson, Rats For Kids, Mendon Cottage Books (ISBN 9781311748102), page 6
      A group of rats is not a herd or a gaggle, but a pack or a mischief of rats. Rats in general are omnivorous, meaning they will eat almost anything.  ...
    • 2014, G. W. Rennie, The Rat Chronicles, iUniverse (ISBN 9781491738313), page 21
      Kirac, the leader of the rats under his charge, speaks to the major through his telepathic abilities that manifested after the alien virus infected him and his mischief of rats. He is sitting on Captain Rushton's shoulder as he speaks with his  ...

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French, meschief, from meschever ‎(“to bring to grief”), from mes- ‎(“badly”) + chever ‎(“happen", "come to a head”), from Vulgar Latin *capare, from Latin caput ‎(“head”)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈmɪstʃɨf/, /ˈmɪʃtʃɨf/
  • Rhymes: -ɪstʃɪf

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