as in joking
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
the new nanny will not tolerate such monkey business from her charges
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 business
But this was no monkey business April Fool’s joke.
—
Charlotte Observer,
4 June 2026
Barnett was the second Mississippi resident to take the monkey business into their own hands.
—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
5 Nov. 2025
The monkey business is dominated by a handful of highly secretive and rivalrous brokers.
—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for monkey business
Charlotte Observer,
4 June 2026
Barnett was the second Mississippi resident to take the monkey business into their own hands.
—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
5 Nov. 2025
The monkey business is dominated by a handful of highly secretive and rivalrous brokers.
—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for monkey business
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkey business
Noun
-
Oh, but the Padres manager was ready with the joking last night.
-
Still, Yoon’s joking somehow lightens the mood.
Noun
-
The clowning might be a little too effortful.
-
As the race unfolds in real time, there’s clowning, collisions, sabotage, surprises, comedy, chaos and more.
Noun
-
When horseplay turns into an impromptu hookup, neither of the young men fight the urge.
-
After France’s 4-3 victory against Argentina at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, horseplay between the players at the team hotel culminated in back-up centre-back Adil Rami setting off a fire extinguisher in the early hours of the morning.
Noun
-
The show, with its interest in corporate buffoonery, doesn’t quite manage to hand-wave away the queasy implications.
-
Receivers have cratered seasons with me-over-we buffoonery.
Noun
-
Bubble skirts had their moment, but balloon pants bring the same sense of playfulness to any outfit.
-
Fun and playfulness definitely trumped the grind here.
Noun
-
As expected, Aussies brought the roughhousing.
-
The boys challenge each other to throw heavy objects, which leads to intense roughhousing.
Noun
-
The project has been plagued by technical issues, supplier disputes, and alleged tomfoolery—empty mini tequila bottles were reportedly discovered on one of the airplanes under construction.
-
The latest tomfoolery consisted of a posting on Twitter/X last week that provided a picture of a genuine Monet painting, and the picture was labeled as supposedly being AI-generated.
Cite this Entry
“Monkey business.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkey%20business. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
