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
-
Its asymmetrical riff on the classic bucket hat takes the usual cut up a notch.—
Gretta Monahan,
Boston Herald,
18 June 2026 -
The new non-stop flights will cut up to four hours off travel time compared to current one-stop services.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
The smallest nation by size (171 square miles) and population — 158,000, or twice the size of Arrowhead Stadium’s capacity — stood with all fans as the national anthems for both teams played.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
21 June 2026
-
Dalal said their son played there daily with his friends, taking advantage of a club policy that allows children under five to enter without a membership.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
21 June 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
-
Dragstrem, who focuses more on production, has messed around with it but was left unsatisfied; McGill, who’s more lyrics-driven, wants nothing to do with the tech.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
30 May 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Cozying up to Holland on the red carpet, Zendaya showed off her asymmetrical skirt, which featured a hip-high slit on her left side that was crowned with a rosette.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
15 June 2026
-
In its first international friendly since March, the US showed off slick offense in a 3-2 win over Senegal in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 31.—
Jim Sciutto,
CNN Money,
8 June 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 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
