as in joking
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
the new nanny will not tolerate such monkey business from her charges
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of monkey business
The brand’s monkey business button-up collared shirt was worn by Blackpink’s Lisa in one of the opening scenes of the premiere episode.
—
Julia Teti, WWD, 19 Feb. 2025
No side bets with them or other monkey business!
—Brady Dale, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025
Theo James and Theo James are getting into some serious monkey business.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2024
There’s a whole lot of monkey business going on this spring in movie theaters.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for monkey business
Julia Teti, WWD, 19 Feb. 2025
No side bets with them or other monkey business!
—Brady Dale, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025
Theo James and Theo James are getting into some serious monkey business.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2024
There’s a whole lot of monkey business going on this spring in movie theaters.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for monkey business
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkey business
Noun
-
Self was in a joking mood when asked about the squad’s stellar defensive play.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Jones eventually got into his joking bag, and Bleek took that opportunity to seriously set the record straight one last time.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Art, meanwhile, occupies a lonely table in the pizzeria and tries to put on his best clowning act for the two women.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
-
As with older clowning traditions, the early American circus clowns were adults performing taboo acts to shock and delight other adults.—
Time,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But what had once been raucous and raunchy mischief, was now benign horseplay.—
Time,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Your impatience with Bruno Tonioli’s horseplay was missed, lady!—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Since medieval times, the colorful fool—from court jesters to Shakespeare’s characters—has used playful wit to critique authority and buffoonery to whip up excitement.—
Time,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Their relationship, tentative, intimate, and defiant, lingers long after the satirical skewering of male buffoonery has faded.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
As for Abdul-Mateen, the clownery will resume for him on Broadway.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2022
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Tirhakah Love is a senior writer at New York Magazine and the host of the new evening newsletter Dinner Party, a daily email that touches on all things entertainment — that means film, television, music, tech, and gaming — plus politics and corporate clownery.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2022
Noun
-
One of the film’s standout moments — the early kidnapping sequence — captures that precision and playfulness.—
Tiana DeNicola,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
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As for footwear, Kurt Geiger’s penchant for playfulness continues.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There was nothing particularly frightening about their Viennese waltz, which was a nice change from all the creepy tomfoolery earlier in the night.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
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This Survivor 49 challenge tomfoolery actually began before the season even started filming.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Monkey business.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkey%20business. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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