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
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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
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Trump played a role of his own in applying pressure.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Oct. 2025
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Pratt plays Detective Chris Raven, a man who programmed an artificial intelligence called Mercy, which Los Angeles courts are using to determine guilt.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Authorities believe it was cut up and sold, AP reported.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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They also aren’t burdened with making sure any of their shots match, since in essence any take can be cut up into a master, close-ups, two-shots, or whatever else Cameron decides.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Military watchers play close attention to what North Korea chooses to show off at such events.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
9 Oct. 2025
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An additional selfie-style photo shows the couple flashing their new status as fiancées as Deahl shows off her engagement ring featuring a sizeable diamond.—
Diana Leyva,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The student was found hanging about 50 feet up in a tree with the open chute, Metro Nashville Police Department said on X Saturday.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Monkey (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkey%20%28around%29. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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