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