1
as in addictions
a physiological need for certain drugs
I've got this monkey on my back, and going to detox is the only way to get it off
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in devils
an appealingly mischievous person
come back here, you little monkey!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of monkeys
Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Oct. 2025
In the sketch, Sherman played Wood’s The White Lotus character Chelsea, donning oversized fake teeth and mocking her Manchester accent with a line dumbing her character down more in a conversation about removing fluoride from water and eating monkeys.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
Resident parrots, monkeys, and sea turtles delight guests, while the beach, multiple swimming pools, and a series of freshwater canals, traversable by boat, provide non-stop activity options.
—Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025
Capuchin monkeys usually live in large groups, ranging from 10 to 35 animals, and survive on a diet of fruit, insects, leaves, small birds and more.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Also avoid bats, monkeys and forest antelope, and do not enter caves or mines where bats may live.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Groups of monkeys amble by the side of dusty brown roads, while eagles glide overhead.
—Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Not long after that trip, when a bad asthma attack put me in the hospital, on steroids, the three monkeys came to me in a vision-dream-nightmare.
—Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2025
For example, one voyage from El Realejo, Nicaragua, in 1850 brought fifty parrots and five monkeys to the city.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 21 Sep. 2025
Verb
The videos, which were shared online, showed baby monkeys being crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled and mutilated.
—Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Oct. 2025
In the sketch, Sherman played Wood’s The White Lotus character Chelsea, donning oversized fake teeth and mocking her Manchester accent with a line dumbing her character down more in a conversation about removing fluoride from water and eating monkeys.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
Resident parrots, monkeys, and sea turtles delight guests, while the beach, multiple swimming pools, and a series of freshwater canals, traversable by boat, provide non-stop activity options.
—Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025
Capuchin monkeys usually live in large groups, ranging from 10 to 35 animals, and survive on a diet of fruit, insects, leaves, small birds and more.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Also avoid bats, monkeys and forest antelope, and do not enter caves or mines where bats may live.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Groups of monkeys amble by the side of dusty brown roads, while eagles glide overhead.
—Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Not long after that trip, when a bad asthma attack put me in the hospital, on steroids, the three monkeys came to me in a vision-dream-nightmare.
—Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2025
For example, one voyage from El Realejo, Nicaragua, in 1850 brought fifty parrots and five monkeys to the city.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 21 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkeys
Noun
-
The initiative — backed by large retailers and law enforcement — turned certain drug and theft crimes from misdemeanors to felonies, meaning steeper consequences for repeat offenders, but also the option of treatment for people with long-term drug addictions.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Sep. 2025
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All this scrolling feeds a gnawing anxiety about the status of men today, imperiled by shifting cultural norms and technological addictions — an insecurity at the core of debates about the place of men in literature today.—
Robert Rubsam,
Vulture,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Whether or not Alice lived happily ever after, Gertrude seems to have done so, at least once her devils were banished by inscrutability.—
Judith Thurman,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
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Weapons seems to break such cycles, leaving no more devils hiding in basements or upstairs bedrooms playing with dolls or ribbons of hair.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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There are high columns crawling with ivy, nearly 12 acres of rolling lawns, teensy windows with teensy shutters, and a diminutive pool house that apes a fairy-tale cottage.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Think about Nobu — everybody copies their rolls.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
23 Sep. 2025
-
As Office alumni branched out, copies begat copies.—
Jesse Hassenger,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The former child actors have grown up since their go-kart derby days on-screen — some have even welcomed their own little rascals off-screen.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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For the social media stars — whose content parodies their real lives through comedic skits — the new baby will also present an opportunity for new kinds of videos.—
Luke Chinman,
People.com,
25 Aug. 2025
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South Park’s Eric Cartman parodies Kirk in the episode by asking a college student a question, referencing Kirk’s viral debates on college campuses.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Monkeys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeys. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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