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monkeying 1 of 3

noun

as in funning
wildly playful or mischievous behavior all that monkeying was sure to end in someone or something getting hurt

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monkeying

2 of 3

adjective

as in prankish

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Dissimilar Words

monkeying

3 of 3

verb

present participle of monkey
as in aping

Related Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkeying
  1. clowning
  2. prankish
  3. aping
  4. joking
  5. ornery
  6. copying
  7. tomfoolery
  8. roguish
Noun
  • The clowning might be a little too effortful.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
  • As the race unfolds in real time, there’s clowning, collisions, sabotage, surprises, comedy, chaos and more.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
Definition of clowning
Adjective
  • The catastrophies that our heroine averts are awfully small potatoes — a bulldozer running amok, an amusement park ride speeding out of control, some prankish teenagers scheming to turn the girl’s shower into a steambath.
    — Arthur Knight, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026
  • Angela Balogh Calin’s costumes prepare the way for Ionesco’s prankish jokes.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Definition of prankish
Verb
  • Critics and fanboy media thrashed Supergirl not just for its Guardians of the Galaxy touchstones, but also for aping Mad Max.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 29 June 2026
  • For Shorts, the label will appear as a small overlay at the bottom of the video itself, although that will add to the already cluttered look of the TikTok-aping Shorts.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026
Definition of aping
Noun
  • Indeed, at lunch, instead of separating into groups to eat, all 16 participants form one mega table and spend the half-hour joking and laughing together.
    — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Many readers — some likely joking — shared their grievances with Elmo.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of joking
Adjective
  • The new movie follows a benevolent ex-pilot named Hig (Jacob Elordi) who, after losing his wife during a catastrophic global pandemic, lives out in the wilderness with his dog, Jasper, and ornery isolationist pal Bangley (Josh Brolin).
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In the show, Kyle Chandler plays Hal Jordan, an ornery Green Lantern who is begrudgingly training his upstart protégé (Aaron Pierre).
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 July 2026
Definition of ornery
Verb
  • The Ohio business has denied intentionally copying Buc-ee's branding.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • But installing a new system isn’t just copying and pasting a playbook; constant tweaks and adjustments are needed, especially when defenses start throwing curveballs.
    — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of copying
Noun
  • That is where all classic Tom and Jerry tomfoolery ends — and there are another 95 minutes to go.
    — Caspar Salmon, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • New assistant coach Alice Chilton is a blatant remodeling of Roy Kent — a brusque ex-soccer player who’s reluctant to engage with Ted’s tomfoolery or personal prodding — but Tanya Reynolds’ performance is equal turns wounded and witty.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of tomfoolery
Adjective
  • No movie has ever been made worse by Mads Mikkelsen, who plays our Big Bad, while Waller-Bridge has great comedic rapport with Ford as his charmingly roguish sidekick.
    — Frank DeRuggiero, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The movie follows the life of feisty belle Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh), from growing up on a plantation to her love affairs, including with roguish Rhett Butler (Clark Gable).
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of roguish
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

monkeyed (with)
monkeying
monkeying (around)
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Cite this Entry

“Monkeying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeying. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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