monk

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈməŋk 

: a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery

also : friar

monk

2 of 2

noun (2)

: monkey

Examples of monk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

On good days, Mani meditated, drank water, tidied his apartment, and listened to monk sermons. —Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025

Midway through, Clinton is bumped off at a monastery while dressed as a monk in Raquel Welch drag, and his guests must unravel the crime. —Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025

Pseudo-Matthew was composed by an anonymous monk, probably in the seventh century, and includes many tales about Jesus growing up. —Mary Dzon, The Conversation, 12 Dec. 2025

Lucky for us and those out-of-state, tastes from coney style hot dogs to deftly made chocolates and jams made with wild berries by monks in the Keweenaw Peninsula make Michigan home to various unique products. —Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 11 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English munuc, from Late Latin monachus, from Late Greek monachos, from Greek, adjective, single, from monos single, alone

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1841, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing monk

• monk parakeet
• monk's cloth
• monk seal

Rhymes for monk

• bunk
• chunk
• clunk
• drunk
• dunk
• hunk
• junk
• punk
• shrunk
• slunk
• spunk
• sunk

Kids Definition

monk

noun

ˈməŋk

: a member of a religious community made up of men who agree to give up worldly life, remain poor and unmarried, and obey all laws of their community

monkish

ˈməŋ-kish

adjective

Biographical Definition

Monk

biographical name

ˈməŋk 

Thelonious Sphere 1920–1982 American jazz musician