1
as in clowned (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 fiddled (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 monkeyed (around)
Verb
-
Most Popular Notorious murderer Richard Crafts, who used a chain saw to cut up his wife’s body and a wood chipper to dispose of it, is out of prison and living in a halfway house, a state Department of Correction spokeswoman said Friday.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
27 Mar. 2026 -
When the singing was done Ma Binney brought me back to her tent and cut up a tomato, put it between two slices of bread, and served it to me on a china plate taken from a wooden chest next to her bed-roll.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Not too long ago, artificial intelligence was more or less a science project in which data scientists and developers fooled around with one-off small or test projects.—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Timberwolves also played without starting forward Jaden McDaniels (right knee soreness) and guard Ayo Dosunmu (right calf soreness).—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Neither Green nor Booker played in the fourth quarter as the Suns cruised to the victory.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Lancers showed off outstanding pitching, starting with Gary Morse striking out 16 in their opener.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
UConn’s Chris Freeman showed off an NFL-caliber leg, kicking a 65-yard field goal.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the email, Dixon suggested that the fire department employee may have messed around with the department's equipment.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
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
“Monkeyed (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeyed%20%28around%29. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
