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
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
On Thursday, visitors and staff at the Ichikawa Zoological and Botanical Garden witnessed a breakthrough: Punch was seen cuddling with and hitching a ride on the back of a fellow macaque.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Japanese snow monkeys, formally known as Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), are native to Japan and are the northernmost-living nonhuman primates in the world.
—Joshua Mellin, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2026
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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
On Thursday, visitors and staff at the Ichikawa Zoological and Botanical Garden witnessed a breakthrough: Punch was seen cuddling with and hitching a ride on the back of a fellow macaque.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Japanese snow monkeys, formally known as Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), are native to Japan and are the northernmost-living nonhuman primates in the world.
—Joshua Mellin, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 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 17 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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