spider monkey

noun

: any of a genus (Ateles) of New World monkeys with long slender limbs, the thumb absent or rudimentary, and a very long prehensile tail

Examples of spider monkey in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web All seven spider monkeys were turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 4 Aug. 2023 Red kangaroos, spider monkeys and pandas are other exotic creatures housed in the zoo. Niha Masih, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2023 Capturing wild spider monkeys to trade is an age-old practice dating as far back as A.D. 200. Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 15 Aug. 2023 This is not the first time agents have found spider monkeys at the border. Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, 7 Aug. 2023 In 2021, a 20-year-old woman was detained after agents found four spider monkeys tucked inside her duffle bag in Progreso in South Texas. Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, 7 Aug. 2023 But half a mile from camp, a peculiar howling echoed through the forest—almost, but not exactly, like that of a spider monkey, the largest simian in the jungle and an excellent source of meat. Larry Rohter, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2023 Officials did not specify to which species the recovered spider monkey belonged. Zoe Sottile, CNN, 20 Nov. 2022 An unidentified woman has been fired from her job at a Houston-area law firm after she was captured on video climbing into a spider monkey enclosure at the El Paso Zoo and feeding the animals something they're never supposed to eat, per the Washington Post's Brittany Shammas. Shacamree Gowdy, Chron, 28 May 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spider monkey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1764, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spider monkey was in 1764

Dictionary Entries Near spider monkey

Cite this Entry

“Spider monkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spider%20monkey. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.

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