1
as in to clown (around)
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior
stop monkeying around in the house or you'll break something
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to goof (around)
to spend time in aimless activity
would rather just monkey around instead of doing work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkey (around)
Verb
-
Running or horsing around with sparklers can also cause injuries and burns when users trip and fall.—
Justin Laube,
EverydayHealth.com,
2 July 2025 -
Heath Ryan, who represented Australia in dressage at the 2008 Olympics, can be seen in the video – which the rider said is about two years old – hitting a horse around 40 times.—
Matias Grez,
CNN Money,
13 June 2025
Verb
-
Almost two full years later, on the verge of making the postseason, the Padres returned to the ballpark that is home to one of baseball’s worst teams and continued to play like a team that seems bent on disappointing in its own spectacular way.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Yet, Ruud just kept right on playing good defense — racing around Laver Cup’s black hardcourt — and somehow managing to return serves that reached 130 mph.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Gisin hopes that by fooling around with measurements of these more exotic states, physicists will come to better understand the role of measurement in general.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Those have come from two players: Adrian Morejon of the San Diego Padres, who throws an odd knuckleball-changeup hybrid about 1 percent of the time, and Jonah Bride of the Minnesota Twins, an infielder fooling around with the knuckler in blowouts.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
Verb
-
Trane says this approach can cut up to 25% of energy use and reduce emissions by as much as 40%.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
-
One Yelp reviewer claimed employees will often cut up toppings on the spot, ensuring freshness.—
Greg Mellen,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The photos of the lovebirds cuddling in a garden (whilst showing off the stunning ring) garnered over 37 million likes.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
18 Sep. 2025
-
While Aniston previously packed hers to the brim when showing off a new haircare product last month, Alba and Lopez toted theirs around earlier this week.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Sizes Tablecloths should hang about 8-16 inches on each side for formal dining and about 3-6 inches on each side for casual dining.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
10 June 2025
-
Most asteroids hang about in the Mars to Jupiter region, and the ones near Earth obviously hang about a bit closer.—
Dana Taylor,
USA TODAY,
2 Oct. 2024
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.
Cite this Entry
“Monkey (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkey%20%28around%29. Accessed 25 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share