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

Rodrigo Cass, a Brazilian artist and a former Carmelite monk, died at 43 in a fatal accident yesterday on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026

The book in question is a copy of Mirror of the Blessed Life of Jesus Christ, a religious tract that was translated and adapted from Latin early in the 15th century by a monk named Nicholas Love. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2026

These are old stone monk lodgings perched right on the edge of the cliff on the mountain between Perissa and Kamari. — Chadner Navarro, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026

To be an average young man, from this perspective, is something inherently dark and sombre, like joining an order of monks who take involuntary vows of celibacy. — T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026

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