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
Relevance
2
as in devil
an appealingly mischievous person
come back here, you little monkey!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of monkey
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2025
That much chaos means nearly everyone in the cast got caught acting (and reacting) their monkey butts off.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
Geoffrey A. Fowler, The Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2019
To make matters more confusing, Apple monkeyed around with the names of the new stuff.
—Geoffrey A. Fowler, The Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for monkey
Noun
In the film, released February 21, O’Brien plays Petey, the son of Hal, who along with his twin brother Bill, experiences myriad horrors after rediscovering their father’s old toy monkey in the attic.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2025
That much chaos means nearly everyone in the cast got caught acting (and reacting) their monkey butts off.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
To make matters more confusing, Apple monkeyed around with the names of the new stuff.
—Geoffrey A. Fowler, The Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2019
To make matters more confusing, Apple monkeyed around with the names of the new stuff.
—Geoffrey A. Fowler, The Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for monkey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkey
Noun
-
During Allen’s parole hearing, Jerry Goodwin, then warden at the David Wade Correctional Center in Homer, where Allen was being held, lauded Allen for his tireless work overcoming his drug addictions and improving his communication skills.—
Richard A. Webster,
ProPublica,
10 Apr. 2025
-
During the second part of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 14 reunion, the sisters provided an update on how the former reality star was faring after relapsing into her alcohol addiction.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
To break the cycle of bias, Play devil’s advocate with yourself.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Fire in the birthing cabin, where another devil stands.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The knockoff was a flimsy, unusable slab of rubber dotted with magnets; the companies aping Agarwal's idea are seemingly unable to replicate the manufacturing process that Agarwal has spent years perfecting to finally be able to widely ship Polygons today.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Nicholson's fireworks would be subsequently aped, and amped up to over-the-top proportions, by other actors and by the future Batman villain himself.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Alex has two choices: Linger at Union Station and see what rascals cross her path, or take up an invitation to join her British guardian angels at their home in Winnetka.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2025
-
After their car is stolen, the group of rascals must resort to some hilarious hijinks to get past the finish line.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
During her opening monologue, Madison — who was previously parodied by SNL cast member Heidi Gardner earlier in the season — poked fun at her stripper skills in the award-winning project.—
Nicholas Rice,
People.com,
30 Mar. 2025
-
Schiaparelli’s latest show took a more traditional turn, its goal to be making modernity out of antiquity, but up until this show, Daniel Roseberry has taken great care to make a body of work at Schiaparelli that honors and practically parodies the intricate details of human body features.—
Aamina Inayat Khan,
StyleCaster,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
But who among Mike White’s gallery of rogue, evil gays reigns supreme?—
Samantha Allen,
Them,
25 Mar. 2025
-
Here, Snow White, played by Rachel Zegler gains the courage to take back her father’s kingdom from the Evil Queen, played by Gal Gadot, with the help of seven dwarfs and a crew of rogue bandits.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
However, for his role as legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow, Clooney picked up a bottle of hair dye to mimic the broadcaster’s look more accurately.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Building artificial skin with room to grow The researchers initially sought to create a skin imitation that could accurately mimic the three layers in human skin: the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Stunning stat: The new kiosks could speed up checkout for ballpark essentials — brats, fries, cheese curds and drinks — by as much as 40%, Delaware North manager Pete Spike told Axios.—
Kyle Stokes,
Axios,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Trachtenberg, whose death at 39 was announced on February 26, spent much of her career playing the most likable version of a precocious brat, a know-it-all who gets away with just about everything thanks to her doe eyes and charisma.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Monkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkey. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share