monkey around
phrasal verb
monkeyed around; monkeying around; monkeys around
informal
: to do things that are not useful or serious : to waste time
We just monkeyed around all afternoon.
a young scientist monkeying around in the lab
Examples of monkey around in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Outside, a basketball hoop, a putting green, and a children’s swing set in a large grassy area allow both kids and adults to monkey around.
—
Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 Aug. 2025
There are frequent shots of monkeys around this season’s White Lotus, glaring on branches just out of reach, occasionally bounding down and startling the guests.
—Joe Joyce, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Mar. 2025
The rabbit slaughter is held up as an example of what happens when humans monkey around with nature.
—Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2025
Then Weta, the special effects wizards behind Apes and Lord of the Rings, decided to monkey around Williams.
—EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
Moreover, monkeying around with the section’s wording could set off a process under which the viewpoint diversity facilitated by social media is eaten away, with results that few conservatives are likely to appreciate.
—The Editors, National Review, 10 Oct. 2024
Although the route doesn’t have all the elements of most via ferratas—no ladders to climb or rungs to monkey around on—the narrow 600-foot crossing, with its bird’s eye view of more than half a dozen hanging glaciers and the lush Chugach temperate rainforest, still requires climbing safety gear.
—Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024
Ashley Tisdale's family isn't monkeying around this Halloween!
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023
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Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 Aug. 2025
There are frequent shots of monkeys around this season’s White Lotus, glaring on branches just out of reach, occasionally bounding down and startling the guests.
—Joe Joyce, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Mar. 2025
The rabbit slaughter is held up as an example of what happens when humans monkey around with nature.
—Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2025
Then Weta, the special effects wizards behind Apes and Lord of the Rings, decided to monkey around Williams.
—EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
Moreover, monkeying around with the section’s wording could set off a process under which the viewpoint diversity facilitated by social media is eaten away, with results that few conservatives are likely to appreciate.
—The Editors, National Review, 10 Oct. 2024
Although the route doesn’t have all the elements of most via ferratas—no ladders to climb or rungs to monkey around on—the narrow 600-foot crossing, with its bird’s eye view of more than half a dozen hanging glaciers and the lush Chugach temperate rainforest, still requires climbing safety gear.
—Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024
Ashley Tisdale's family isn't monkeying around this Halloween!
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Monkey around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monkey%20around. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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