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
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Recent Examples of monkeys
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Jan. 2026
Some players like paper-thin picks and others prefer chunky monkeys.
—New Atlas, 19 Jan. 2026
Accompanying him are two monkeys, one carried on the man’s shoulder and the other led by hand.
—Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Initial sightings suggested there were four monkeys, but Hauser said officials were unable to confirm the exact number.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Springer said the largest number of monkeys reported together so far is four, suggesting there is not a large group roaming the city.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Rafting trips on the Peñas Blancas River tend to be slow and calm, providing plenty of time to spot monkeys, crocodiles, and sloths, while the Balsa River has calm stretches along with exposure to Class II and III rapids.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026
Residents have been urged to stay away from the monkeys and call for help instead.
—Heather Hollingsworth, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2026
Noun
However, several types of bacteria were more abundant in the monkeys who did not bathe.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Jan. 2026
Some players like paper-thin picks and others prefer chunky monkeys.
—New Atlas, 19 Jan. 2026
Accompanying him are two monkeys, one carried on the man’s shoulder and the other led by hand.
—Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Initial sightings suggested there were four monkeys, but Hauser said officials were unable to confirm the exact number.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Springer said the largest number of monkeys reported together so far is four, suggesting there is not a large group roaming the city.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Rafting trips on the Peñas Blancas River tend to be slow and calm, providing plenty of time to spot monkeys, crocodiles, and sloths, while the Balsa River has calm stretches along with exposure to Class II and III rapids.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2026
Residents have been urged to stay away from the monkeys and call for help instead.
—Heather Hollingsworth, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkeys
Noun
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Proposition 47’s reduction in penalties for theft and drug offenses led to minimal consequences for repeat offenders, creating a lack of incentives to stop their criminal behavior or seek help for their addictions.—
Mike Hestrin,
Oc Register,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Their own addictions to meth persisted for years, outlasting the lives of both their father and grandfather.—
Katheryn Houghton,
NPR,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There are sounds and shadows in the forest; the Devil, or devils, may be walking the earth.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
-
And then there are the infernal workers who make sure that Lucifer’s realm runs smoothly, among them farting devils, giants in chains, and a flying monster with the body of a serpent and the face of an honest man.—
Eric Bulson,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
More importantly, this origin story of a movie and a movement apes the joie de moviemaking and the jazzy looseness of the original to an absolutely amazing degree, replicating an off-the-cuff feeling that’s more than a second-hand buzz.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
-
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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Despite initial skepticism, the 1994 tournament drew record crowds and $50 million surplus, spurring MLS’s creation and innovations FIFA now copies worldwide.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Just look at Apple’s new product line that copies everything from the previous one, except the thickness.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
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In the years since 2004’s Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Penn’s carved out a niche embodying big-talking, attention-grabbing rascals who say inappropriate things, then shrug their way through the consequences.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
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In a time when unemployment is on the rise and the rich are running amok and wreaking havoc on the poor — and the social services in place to support them — who doesn’t love the idea of rogue rascals sticking it to a bougie institution by running off with its crown jewels?—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Newsom has been trying to raise his national profile, adopting a combative style that parodies Trump’s social media strategy with similar all-caps posts, memes and merchandise.—
Adriana Gomez Licon,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
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In another nod to Scream, Cheri Oteri parodies Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers as the comically unethical news anchor Gail Hailstorm.—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Monkeys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeys. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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