monkey

noun

mon·key | \ ˈməŋ-kē

plural monkeys

Definition of monkey

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

2a : 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

monkey

verb

monkeyed; monkeying

Definition of monkey (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: mimic, mock

intransitive verb

1 : to act in a grotesque or mischievous manner

2a : 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

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about monkey

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Synonyms for monkey

Synonyms: Noun

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

Examples of monkey in a Sentence

Noun

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 on the Web: Noun

The four-night extension includes a journey through Kigali and Volcanoes National Park, home to the rare golden monkeys and mountain gorillas (starting in March, from $3,795). — Corina Quinn, Condé Nast Traveler, "Five New Cruise Experiences We Can’t Wait For in 2019," 12 Dec. 2018 To turn Garner into the iconic matron of Oz's flying monkeys, Stiles began by covering her entire face and neck in green face paint, then dramatically contoured her cheeks and brow bones with black. — Zoe Weiner, Allure, "Jennifer Garner Transforms Into the Wicked Witch for Halloween, Thanks to Makeup Artist Fiona Stiles," 31 Oct. 2018 In a lawsuit filed Monday … Teshawn Solomon, who is black, said white supervisors called him a racial epithet and compared him to a monkey. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump is losing the debate over splitting up immigrant families," 15 June 2018 Then hit Uluwatu temple at sunset (watch out for mischievous monkeys who steal many an iPhone!), where the views of the light fading behind the cliff will be some of the most photogenic of your trip. — Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, "Finding the Bali You Came For," 16 Nov. 2018 At the Columbus Zoo, there are a total of eight vervet monkeys. — Kelly Conaboy, The Cut, "Stassi Schroeder Just Gave Birth to Jax Taylor at the Columbus Zoo," 19 June 2018 Love, loss, fear, and hate are there whether the post-apocalypse is a giant desert or an army of monkeys. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Supercut of Hollywood Apocalypses Shows Our Inevitable Future," 14 Dec. 2016 The monkey is the 10th primate to die accidentally at the UW since 2009, when a male macaque starved to death. — Sandi Doughton, The Seattle Times, "Research monkey strangles to death at new UW animal lab," 20 Sep. 2018 As for the 500 daily human visitors who come to watch the snow monkeys bathe? — Laura Yan, Popular Mechanics, "Snow Monkeys Love Hot Baths the Same Reasons Humans Do," 8 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Vieux Carre home owners and hoteliers have traditionally applied grease to the poles to prevent such monkeying around. — Doug Maccash, NOLA.com, "Greasing of the Poles: The slippery Mardi Gras ceremony is Feb. 9," 25 Jan. 2018 But there’s no stopping the construction now, so signing Kaepernick would not monkey-wrench the stadium. — Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, "Colin Kaepernick a phone call away from being Raiders’ backup QB," 20 Jan. 2018 Last year our smokestacks and tailpipes puffed out more than 60 trillion pounds of the greenhouse gas, monkeying with the planet’s climate and acidifying the oceans. — NBC News, "Can a Carbon 'Vacuum Cleaner' Save the Planet?," 1 Nov. 2017 Not seeing too many Kobe’s here at Electric Zoo as Bad Royale aren’t monkeying around with an energetic mix of electro, dub and dancehall. — Ryan Middleton, Billboard, "Electric Zoo 2017 Day 1 Highlights: DJ Snake, Galantis, Sasha & John Digweed and More," 2 Sep. 2017 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 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 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 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

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.

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Dictionary Entries near monkey

monkey about with (something)

monkey apple

Statistics for monkey

Last Updated

8 Feb 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for monkey

The first known use of monkey was circa 1530

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More Definitions for monkey

monkey

noun

English Language Learners Definition of monkey

: a type of animal that is closely related to apes and humans and that has a long tail and usually lives in trees

chiefly British : a person (especially a child) who causes trouble in a playful way

See the full definition for monkey in the English Language Learners Dictionary

monkey

noun

mon·key | \ ˈməŋ-kē

plural monkeys

Kids Definition of monkey

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

monkeyed; monkeying

Kids Definition of monkey (Entry 2 of 2)

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

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