monkey with
phrasal 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
That’s what The Righteous Gemstones put in front of Judy Gemstone in its final season: a legendary comedic talent with a history of deranged character work, and a monkey with bad intentions who is growing fat on fajita meat.
—
Brian Grubb, Vulture, 1 May 2025
What To Know During an event in Wisconsin, Musk announced that the animal trials for Blindsight, a Neuralink chip that could potentially restore full sight to someone who is completely blind, had been successful, and that monkeys with the implant were healthy.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
The guests are just monkeys with delusions of grandeur and civilization.
—Joe Joyce, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Mar. 2025
As much as legal types are justly ill-disposed toward monkeying with the Constitution’s protections of free speech, there’s precedent for overriding such concerns in the advertising arena.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 28 Feb. 2025
In the following scene, Scott’s character tries to destroy the monkey with a flame thrower, another practical effect.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 4 Mar. 2025
When the wind-up toy reappears 25 years after the Shelburn brothers chuck it down a well, their lives are once more ravaged by a series of grisly murders, and Hal must face the monkey with his own estranged son, Petey (Colin O’Brien).
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 7 Feb. 2025
The difficulty was organically blending a monkey with an eagle.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2025
Could an infinite number of monkeys with an infinite amount of time type the complete works of Shakespeare?
—Ali Slagle, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025
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Brian Grubb, Vulture, 1 May 2025
What To Know During an event in Wisconsin, Musk announced that the animal trials for Blindsight, a Neuralink chip that could potentially restore full sight to someone who is completely blind, had been successful, and that monkeys with the implant were healthy.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
The guests are just monkeys with delusions of grandeur and civilization.
—Joe Joyce, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Mar. 2025
As much as legal types are justly ill-disposed toward monkeying with the Constitution’s protections of free speech, there’s precedent for overriding such concerns in the advertising arena.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 28 Feb. 2025
In the following scene, Scott’s character tries to destroy the monkey with a flame thrower, another practical effect.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 4 Mar. 2025
When the wind-up toy reappears 25 years after the Shelburn brothers chuck it down a well, their lives are once more ravaged by a series of grisly murders, and Hal must face the monkey with his own estranged son, Petey (Colin O’Brien).
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 7 Feb. 2025
The difficulty was organically blending a monkey with an eagle.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2025
Could an infinite number of monkeys with an infinite amount of time type the complete works of Shakespeare?
—Ali Slagle, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Monkey with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monkey%20with. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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