Illustration of macaque
: any of a genus (Macaca) of chiefly Asian monkeys typically having a sturdy build and including some short-tailed or tailless forms
especially
: rhesus monkey
Examples of macaque in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These are the ocular dominance columns, described in the Nobel Prize-winning research of David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel in the 1960s, whose recordings from cats’ (Felis catus) and macaques’ (genus Macaca) revealed that the visual cortex is not a neutral integrator of the two eyes’ signals.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Two American nationals were arrested Sunday in Japan after one of them entered the monkey enclosure at a zoo where a baby macaque named Punch became a global internet sensation earlier this year, police said Monday.
—Frank Andrews, CBS News, 18 May 2026
As part of efforts to phase out the use of monkeys in research, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention intends to transfer more than 160 macaques to Born Free USA, a nonprofit that runs a large primate sanctuary in Texas.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 14 May 2026
Despite heavy discouragement from local authorities, macaques are unlikely to reduce their junk food consumption, given the popularity of the tourist attraction and their history of interacting with humans dating back to the 18th century.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
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Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Two American nationals were arrested Sunday in Japan after one of them entered the monkey enclosure at a zoo where a baby macaque named Punch became a global internet sensation earlier this year, police said Monday.
—Frank Andrews, CBS News, 18 May 2026
As part of efforts to phase out the use of monkeys in research, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention intends to transfer more than 160 macaques to Born Free USA, a nonprofit that runs a large primate sanctuary in Texas.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 14 May 2026
Despite heavy discouragement from local authorities, macaques are unlikely to reduce their junk food consumption, given the popularity of the tourist attraction and their history of interacting with humans dating back to the 18th century.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for macaque
Cite this Entry
“Macaque.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/macaque. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
: any of various monkeys mostly from Asia that includes some with either short or no tails
especially
: rhesus monkey
Etymology
French, from Portuguese macaco, from makaku, plural of kaku, name for an African monkey in one or more Bantu languages of Gabon and Congo
Medical Definition
: any of numerous short-tailed Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca and related genera chiefly of southern Asia
especially
: rhesus monkey
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