macaque

noun

ma·​caque mə-ˈkak  -ˈkäk 

: 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

Illustration of macaque

Examples of macaque in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After the Trump administration began freezing funding to Harvard this month, researchers developing a new tuberculosis vaccine faced the prospect of having to euthanize their rhesus macaques. —Emily Anthes, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025

Working with the spleens of primates (macaques), the team engineered microenvironments within the test organs to support human pancreatic islets. —Discover Magazine, 23 May 2025

The team had been conducting testing in macaques of an injectable vaccine developed by researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital. —Atul Gawande, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025

At first the macaques are intrigued by these strange machines, Reinegger says. —Byrefael Kubersky, science.org, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Portuguese macaco, from kaku mangabey, plural makaku, in one or more Bantu languages of Gabon and Congo

First Known Use

1757, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing macaque

• crab-eating macaque
• long-tailed macaque
• stump-tailed macaque

Rhymes for macaque

• alcock
• beanstalk
• bedrock
• boardwalk
• catwalk
• cornstalk
• crosswalk
• deadlock
• feedstock
• fetlock
• flintlock
• goshawk

Kids Definition

macaque

noun

ma·​caque mə-ˈkak  -ˈkäk 

: 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

macaque

noun

ma·​caque mə-ˈkak  -ˈkäk 

: any of numerous short-tailed Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca and related genera chiefly of southern Asia

especially : rhesus monkey