1
as in addiction
a physiological need for certain drugs
I've got this monkey on my back, and going to detox is the only way to get it off
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in devil
an appealingly mischievous person
come back here, you little monkey!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of monkey
Heather Hollingsworth, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2026
More officers patrolled the area on Friday and were also not able to find the monkeys.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Michael Haag, Dallas News, 10 Oct. 2022
With supply running low toward the end of most evenings, savvy bun fanatics don’t monkey around, routinely calling ahead to request an extra skillet of rolls set aside just for them. Ettan.
—Valerie Demicheva and Flora Chang, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 July 2021
See All Example Sentences for monkey
Noun
People have reported capturing the monkeys, even posting fake pictures online to bolster the claim.
—Heather Hollingsworth, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2026
More officers patrolled the area on Friday and were also not able to find the monkeys.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Verb
The Bears will be prepared for the environment, but getting that Morgantown monkey off their back will take a lot more than imagined.
—Michael Haag, Dallas News, 10 Oct. 2022
With supply running low toward the end of most evenings, savvy bun fanatics don’t monkey around, routinely calling ahead to request an extra skillet of rolls set aside just for them. Ettan.
—Valerie Demicheva and Flora Chang, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 July 2021
See All Example Sentences for monkey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkey
Noun
-
Chief among them is small-screen addiction to platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc.—
Dana Kelley,
Arkansas Online,
9 Jan. 2026
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As a group, Native Americans face high rates of poverty, chronic disease, and mental illness — all are risk factors for addiction.—
Katheryn Houghton,
NPR,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Nobody wants to deal with our old devil, even if the new one comes with an encroaching open threat actively bubbling in the Caribbean and Latin America at large.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
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But Bourdain, with his devil-be-damned demeanor, somehow makes the dish feel approachable — even though the two chefs’ recipes are pretty similar.—
Gretchen McKay,
Boston Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In October, the Department of Homeland Security posted an image aping marketing for the Halo series.—
Megan Farokhmanesh,
Wired News,
21 Nov. 2025
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More importantly, this origin story of a movie and a movement apes the joie de moviemaking and the jazzy looseness of the original to an absolutely amazing degree, replicating an off-the-cuff feeling that’s more than a second-hand buzz.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Bolstering the state’s dependence on fossil fuels forces us to keep funding the destruction of our environment, health, and a civil democratic society.—
Anshul Gupta,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
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The prescription opioid pill, called naltrexone, was first approved by the FDA to treat opioid dependence in 1984.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In the years since 2004’s Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Penn’s carved out a niche embodying big-talking, attention-grabbing rascals who say inappropriate things, then shrug their way through the consequences.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
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In a time when unemployment is on the rise and the rich are running amok and wreaking havoc on the poor — and the social services in place to support them — who doesn’t love the idea of rogue rascals sticking it to a bougie institution by running off with its crown jewels?—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The scene came in a fictional segment parodying Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead in which Maggie defends her architectural talents after her daycare teacher punishes her for making beautiful structures from building blocks.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Dec. 2025
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Grande, who has been featured as a musical guest twice (once as part of her double-duty in 2016), sang, parodied and disappeared into characters all through the night, flexing her skillset as a host who’s game to try on costumes no matter how ridiculous, impressions no matter how far-fetched.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
20 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The United States of America is a rogue nation, run by a violent criminal who operates outside the rule of law.—
Elie Mystal,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
-
There will never again be one rogue program hijacking the sport with attitude and intimidation.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The exercises mimicked the demands of difficult backcountry missions.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
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The company is currently redesigning its website to mimic the ease of in-store shopping.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Monkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkey. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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