rhizoverbBeta
DictionarytykeMischievous child
noun

tyke

TYKE/taɪk/

A child, especially a mischievous one.

The little tyke grins as he reaches into the cookie tin.

A small, mischievous child reaches into an open biscuit tin, grinning with crumbs on his cheeks and a half-eaten biscuit in his other hand.
Etymology
tykeMiddle Englishcur, mongrel

A tike was originally a dog disparaged as a cur or mongrel, and the name was also used contemptuously for a person. Playful reproof softened it into a name for a child.

In context

Profiling Evil27:09
were as high as 86 degrees now add the stuffiness of the storage unit and the high humidity in the area and you got a recipe for decomposition this little tyke's body had become a forensic examiner's worst enemy
How Did Samuel Olson Die? | Profiling Evil

More examples

  • That cheeky tyke hides my slippers every morning.
  • We have two energetic tykes running around the house.
  • I learned to swim when I was just a little tyke.

Forms

tyke · tykes

Similar words

kid
An informal word for any child, without suggesting mischief.
rascal
Emphasizes mischievous behavior and can also describe an adult.