monkey business

noun

: shenanigan sense 2
didn't try any monkey business when the boss was away

Examples of monkey business in a Sentence

Our teacher warned us not to try any monkey business while she was out of the room. the new nanny will not tolerate such monkey business from her charges
Recent Examples on the Web Orangutans: Bella and Segundo Relationship status: A blind date that didn't go so well Sometimes matchmaking can feel a bit like monkey business. Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 7 Feb. 2024 About 35 miles northwest of Chicago, there's some serious monkey business happening. Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 2 Sep. 2023 That's not monkey business. Clare Duffy, CNN, 16 Mar. 2021 And that’s no monkey business. Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 17 Feb. 2014 The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has some real monkey business going on! Wendy Geller, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2023 Police in Montgomery County, Maryland are investigating some serious monkey business after a thief made off with a gorilla statue in the dark of night. Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2023 Researchers say their study is far from simply monkey business, however. Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 8 Jan. 2015 That focus leaves Picasso in slight shadow, gives Braque his fair due and crowns a new champion of media monkey business and painterly legerdemain. Jason Farago, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monkey business.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of monkey business was in 1835

Dictionary Entries Near monkey business

Cite this Entry

“Monkey business.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monkey%20business. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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