monkey with
verb
monkeyed with; monkeying with; monkeys with
informal
: to handle or play with (something) in a careless way : to monkey around with (something)
I told you not to monkey with the lawn mower.
Examples of monkey with in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Further proof of the theory that a bunch of monkeys with typewriters could eventually produce the full works of Shakespeare.
—
Phil Hay, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2026
At least one hand organ player outfitted his monkey with a red jacket—apparently an early instance of a type of street entertainment that spread across American cities by the early twentieth century.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 21 Sep. 2025
One monkey with its hands covering its eyes, another with its hands covering its mouth, and a third with its hands covering its ears.
—Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2025
Irons brought the monkey with him to Kansas City, and, as legend has it, it’s buried somewhere on the property.
—Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2025
The new majority on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors intends to imprudently balance its operating budget by monkeying with its reserve structure and reducing its size.
—Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
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Phil Hay, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2026
At least one hand organ player outfitted his monkey with a red jacket—apparently an early instance of a type of street entertainment that spread across American cities by the early twentieth century.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 21 Sep. 2025
One monkey with its hands covering its eyes, another with its hands covering its mouth, and a third with its hands covering its ears.
—Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2025
Irons brought the monkey with him to Kansas City, and, as legend has it, it’s buried somewhere on the property.
—Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2025
The new majority on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors intends to imprudently balance its operating budget by monkeying with its reserve structure and reducing its size.
—Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Monkey with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monkey%20with. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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