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
Punch was abandoned by his mother at birth, which is rare for macaques.
—
Greta Cross, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
And his zookeeper has told CNN that the seemingly rough videos that alarmed Punch’s global legions of fans are just part of growing up for the seven-month-old macaque, who lives at Japan’s Ichikawa City Zoo.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
Zookeepers nursed him and gave him the toy to train him to cling, an ability newborn macaques need to survive.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Animals with backstories Every animal at Popcorn Park has a backstory, like Tess, a 22-year-old Japanese macaque, also known as a snow monkey.
—Christine Sloan, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for macaque
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Greta Cross, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
And his zookeeper has told CNN that the seemingly rough videos that alarmed Punch’s global legions of fans are just part of growing up for the seven-month-old macaque, who lives at Japan’s Ichikawa City Zoo.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
Zookeepers nursed him and gave him the toy to train him to cling, an ability newborn macaques need to survive.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Animals with backstories Every animal at Popcorn Park has a backstory, like Tess, a 22-year-old Japanese macaque, also known as a snow monkey.
—Christine Sloan, CBS News, 2 Mar. 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 23 Mar. 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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