monk

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈməŋk 

: a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery

also : friar

monk

2 of 2

noun (2)

: monkey

Examples of monk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Serving as director of mindfulness at Japanese skincare company Tatcha since 2021 and leading meditation workshops at Fortune 500 businesses like Meta and Sony, the monk is bringing his ancient practice to people all around the world with a modern approach. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026

By deploying them in a secular context, the podcast makes the argument that insight doesn’t have to be conveyed by the Holy Spirit, as the Carthusian monks would have believed, in order to be meaningful. —Séamas O'Reilly, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026

Medieval monks toiling away at poetic meditations on the divine have their place, the authors allow, but their own arguments are meant to surpass mere abstract justifications for belief. —Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026

In October of 1517, a 34-year-old monk named Martin Luther (probably) nailed his famous Ninety-Five Theses to the door of All Saint’s Church in Wittenberg, in what is now eastern Germany. —Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English munuc, from Late Latin monachus, from Late Greek monachos, from Greek, adjective, single, from monos single, alone

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1841, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing monk

• monk parakeet
• monk's cloth
• monk seal

Rhymes for monk

• bunk
• chunk
• clunk
• drunk
• dunk
• hunk
• junk
• punk
• shrunk
• slunk
• spunk
• sunk

Kids Definition

monk

noun

ˈməŋk

: a member of a religious community made up of men who agree to give up worldly life, remain poor and unmarried, and obey all laws of their community

monkish

ˈməŋ-kish

adjective

Biographical Definition

Monk

biographical name

ˈməŋk 

Thelonious Sphere 1920–1982 American jazz musician