/ ˈmɪstʃɪf; NAmE / noun [ U ]
1.
bad behaviour (especially of children) that is annoying but does not cause any serious damage or harm :
Those children are always getting into mischief .
I try to keep out of mischief .
It's very quiet upstairs; they must be up to some mischief !
2.
the wish or tendency to behave or play in a way that causes trouble :
Her eyes were full of mischief.
3.
( formal ) harm or injury that is done to sb or to their reputation :
The incident caused a great deal of political mischief.
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IDIOMS
- do yourself a mischief
- make mischief
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (denoting misfortune or distress): from Old French meschief , from the verb meschever , from mes- adversely + chever come to an end (from chef head).