monkey (around)

verb

Definition of monkey (around)next
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

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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)
  1. horse around
  2. play
  3. fool around
  4. hang about
  5. cut up
  6. show off
Verb
  • And lo, that’s how The Godfather wound up horsing around on a bouncy sorta-rap cut with London’s club muse and scene gadfly Normski.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Also, don’t get too out of control horsing around with friends in the water.
    — John Natale, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of horse around
Verb
  • The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Purdue transfer, cleared by the courts to play courtesy of a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit against the NCAA, came off the bench to score nine points on 4-of-5 shooting.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2026
  • That forced Edmonds and former Horned Frog David Punch (now at Texas) to play lengthy minutes and have to worry about foul trouble.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of play
Verb
  • As Marshall and Alice consider one another and then start to fool around, the sequence feels organic and dangerous without being forced.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Another horny couple on vacation couldn’t wait until their flight landed to fool around and insisted on doing so in the plane's cabin.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Definition of fool around
Verb
  • President James Garfield’s assassin, Charles Guiteau, died by hanging about five months after he was convicted of murder.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 17 June 2026
  • On Monday, May 18, a 7%-illuminated crescent will hang about two degrees from Venus, with Jupiter about 20 degrees above.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 15 May 2026
Definition of hang about
Verb
  • Californios’ reign began to vanish even before the discovery of gold, when droughts and floods wiped out their easygoing livelihoods, and their lands were cut up, sold off, and their land grants swept aside by the new state.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The board's original proposal called for cutting up to 18 English learner teachers across the district.
    — Beret Leone, CBS News, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of cut up
Verb
  • They can be planted along foundations, add height and layers to flower beds, or planted as an accent to show off fall color, beautiful blooms, or other interesting features.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2026
  • His wife and frequent collaborator Bianca Censori sat front row, naturally showing off one of her husband’s latest boot designs.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of show off
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.

Browse Nearby Words

monkey
monkey (around)
monkey business
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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 8 Nov. 2026.

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