1
as in clowning (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 fiddling (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 monkeying (around)
Verb
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Ford is planning on cutting up to 1,000 roles in electric-vehicle production in Germany.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025 -
Proposition 50 would turn back the clock of progress, cutting up our neighborhoods for political gain and silencing the very voices that fought hardest for fairness.—
Bernadette Suarez,
Oc Register,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Gisin hopes that by fooling around with measurements of these more exotic states, physicists will come to better understand the role of measurement in general.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The small-model approach was echoed by researchers at Samsung AI Lab last week, who released a paper showing off their Tiny Recursive Model.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
15 Oct. 2025
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The whole crew takes pride in showing off the ship.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Graziadei, 46, is known for playing Daniel Romalotti in The Young and the Restless.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
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As knowledgeable as Towns is about the infrastructure of the apparel industry, his priority is playing for and training with the New York Knicks.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Its general sensibility seems more Superstore than The Office, down to the interstitial montages of customers acting up in the perpetually overcrowded waiting room.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
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Sturm said his back started acting up after the team’s first practice.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The dismantling of the Cubs in the NLDS was a statement series that the Brewers are not messing around and have the power to win their first World Series.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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Around March, during a session with Allen and Slatkin, Maddell started messing around with chords to pair with an acoustic that Slatkin had at the ready.—
Josh Glicksman,
Billboard,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Orion Nebula Those viewing from a dark sky location may also notice a blurry patch of light hanging about 5 degrees below Orion's belt.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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The student was found hanging about 50 feet up in a tree with the open chute, Metro Nashville Police Department said on X Saturday.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Monkeying (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeying%20%28around%29. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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