monkeys (around)

verb

present tense third-person singular of monkey (around)
1
as in clowns (around)
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior stop monkeying around in the house or you'll break something

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in fiddles (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 monkeys (around)
  1. horses around
  2. plays
  3. cuts up
  4. hangs about
Verb
  • Ortiz navigated past 17 other horses around the final turn and made a hard charge down the stretch.
    — Stephen Whyno, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
Definition of horses around
Verb
  • Toronto plays the Fire in Chicago on Thursday night, while the Valkyries play at Dallas on Friday night.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Currently the league plays a late winter to late fall schedule.
    — Anne M. Peterson, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of plays
Verb
  • The new congressional map in Virginia effectively cuts up the state’s 11 House districts to give Democrats an advantage in 10 of them.
    — Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
  • How to Prune Viburnum Use sharp hand pruners for smaller cuts up to the diameter of a pencil, and loppers or a pruning saw for larger cuts.
    — Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Feb. 2026
Definition of cuts up
Verb
  • Though the sisters are supposedly first-generation Italian American, no whiff of the old country hangs about Kay; Dorothy will at least spit out a few words in Italian.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Turquoise pearl, and azure line the space, and a cylindrical hanging light sculpture made of hundreds of white and gold ceramic fish hangs about the lounge seating area.
    — Kristin Braswell, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Jan. 2026
Definition of hangs about
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

monkeys
monkeys (around)
monkeyshine
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Cite this Entry

“Monkeys (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeys%20%28around%29. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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