monkey

noun mon·key \ ˈməŋ-kē \

Definition of monkey

plural monkeys

1 :a nonhuman primate mammal with the exception usually of the lemurs and tarsiers; especially :any of the smaller longer-tailed catarrhine or platyrrhine primates as contrasted with the apes

2 a :a person resembling a monkey

b :a ludicrous figure :dupe

3 :any of various machines, implements, or vessels; especially :the falling weight of a pile driver

4 :a desperate desire for or addiction to drugs —often used in the phrase monkey on one's back; broadly :a persistent or annoying encumbrance or problem

See monkey defined for English-language learners

See monkey defined for kids

Examples of monkey in a Sentence

He's quite a cheeky little monkey, isn't he?
I've got this monkey on my back, and going to detox is the only way to get it off.

Recent Examples of monkey from the Web

View 77 Photos Ordinary to an Extreme Under that crouching-monkey exterior is a mechanical package of astonishing ordinariness.

— Car and Driver, "2018 Toyota C-HR," 17 Aug. 2017
Pulled up today to see runners posing with the monkeys!

— courtney ortega, star-telegram, "Fort Worth’s 10 most Instagram-worthy spots," 26 July 2017
Getty Justin Bieber, man who once bought and then abandoned a monkey, has been banned from China.

— mehera bonner, Marie Claire, "Justin Bieber Has Been Banned from China for Causing "Discontent Among the Public"," 21 July 2017
The league has rescued monkeys, pigs, ponies, even a drug dealer's cougar, and thousands of dogs and cats every year.

— john kass, chicagotribune.com, "Rabbit-hating gardener doing what must be done, even if it hurts," 19 July 2017
The film has yet to cast the villainous Jafar, the squawking Iago, the monkey Abu, and the tiger Raja.

— vanityfair.com, "Disney Announces Main Aladdin Cast Including Will Smith," 15 July 2017
The film has yet to cast the villainous Jafar, the squawking Iago, the monkey Abu, and the tiger Raja.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "Disney Announces Main Aladdin Cast Including Will Smith," 15 July 2017
While monkeys were unable to think too far into the future, great apes like chimps, bonobos and orangutans showed the ability to plan.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Like Humans and Apes, Ravens Can Plan for the Future," 15 July 2017
Do not expect to read anything in this section about Few finally getting the monkey off his back.

— lindsay schnell, SI.com, "Gonzaga's next step after the best season in school history," 29 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'monkey.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of monkey

probably of Low German origin; akin to Moneke, name of an ape, probably of Romance origin; akin to Old Spanish mona monkey

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1530

See Words from the same year

monkey Synonyms

Synonyms

dependence (also dependance), habit, jones [slang], addiction

Related Words

alcoholism, heroinism, morphinism; habituation, tolerance

Near Antonyms

beast, boor, cad, churl, clown, creep, cretin, cur, heel, joker, louse, lout, skunk, snake, stinkard, stinker; knave, miscreant, reprobate, scalawag (or scallywag), scapegrace, scoundrel, varlet, villain

Other Mammals Terms

dormouse, dugong, gibbon, grimalkin, sable, stoat, ungulate, vole

monkey

verb

Definition of monkey

monkeyed; monkeying

transitive verb

:mimic, mock

intransitive verb

1 :to act in a grotesque or mischievous manner

2 a :fool, trifle —often used with around

he likes to monkey around with engines

b :tamper —usually used with with

don't monkey with the settings

See monkey defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of monkey from the Web

Many generations of monkeying around ensued, aided by the relative lack of natural predators (other than alligators, which often eat young, naïve primates on the riverbanks).

— tamara lush, chicagotribune.com, "Monkey troupe vexes Florida park, goes viral on social media," 11 July 2017
Again, negotiators might monkey around a bit with the formula for how rapidly the Obamacare Medicaid expansion is killed and how deeply the long-term Medicaid cap would bite.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Here Are the Ways the GOP’s Senate Health Care Bill Won’t Be Getting Any Less Mean," 22 June 2017
There’s very little Congress can do that people take more personally than monkeying around with healthcare.

— cathleen decker, latimes.com, "Vulnerable House Republicans fear political consequences after healthcare vote," 5 May 2017
Why do thriving sports feel the need to monkey around with their product?

— george vecsey, New York Times, "Soccer and Baseball Just Can’t Leave Well Enough Alone," 10 Feb. 2017

First Known Use of monkey

circa 1658

MONKEY Defined for English Language Learners

monkey

noun

Definition of monkey for English Language Learners

: a type of animal that is closely related to apes and humans and that has a long tail and usually lives in trees
: a person (especially a child) who causes trouble in a playful way

MONKEY Defined for Kids

monkey

noun mon·key \ ˈməŋ-kē \

Definition of monkey for Students

plural monkeys

:a furry animal of warm regions that has a long tail and that along with the apes is most closely related to humans

monkey

verb

Definition of monkey for Students

monkeyed; monkeying

1 :to spend time in an idle or aimless way

We just monkeyed around in the gym.

2 :to handle secretly or in a careless or incorrect way

He didn't want anyone monkeying with the cash register …
—George Selden, The Cricket in Times Square

Medical Dictionary

monkey

noun mon·key \ ˈməŋ-kē \

medical Definition of monkey

:a nonhuman primate mammal with the exception usually of the lemurs and tarsiers; especially :any of the smaller longer-tailed primates as contrasted with the apes