1
as in buffoonery
usually monkeyshines plural
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
hockey players who are known for their monkeyshines on and off the ice
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in trick
usually monkeyshines plural
a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke
on the alert for paleontological monkeyshines ever since the unmasking of Piltdown man
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkeyshine
Noun
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The show, with its interest in corporate buffoonery, doesn’t quite manage to hand-wave away the queasy implications.
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Receivers have cratered seasons with me-over-we buffoonery.
Noun
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Boutique gems, new offers win the day Elevated VIP-style vacays with truffles, oysters and bubbly are attainable with some tips and tricks.
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Sora Shirai captured victory after maintaining his lead through the best trick section, while teammates Kairi Netsuke and Toa Sasaki climbed from the bottom of the leaderboard with clutch final tricks to complete a Japanese podium sweep.
Noun
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When horseplay turns into an impromptu hookup, neither of the young men fight the urge.
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After France’s 4-3 victory against Argentina at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, horseplay between the players at the team hotel culminated in back-up centre-back Adil Rami setting off a fire extinguisher in the early hours of the morning.
Noun
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Directed by Harald Zwart (The Karate Kid remake), the caper follows six garage workers who, on learning that their livelihoods are now under threat, decide to pool all their resources together for one last hurrah cheering on their country at the 2006 World Cup.
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The fish is seared in the pan, then removed to make way for a saucy saute of onion, garlic, sweet and hot peppers, and tomatoes that is flavored with wine, olives, capers and thyme.
Noun
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But this was no monkey business April Fool’s joke.
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Barnett was the second Mississippi resident to take the monkey business into their own hands.
Noun
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Based on author Mark Twain's own childhood in Hannibal, Missouri, this book follows the escapades of a boy with an adventurous, and often mischievous, spirit growing up along the Mississippi River.
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In between languid lake swims and sensual forest escapades, old crushes surface and new anxieties rear their heads in this deft portrait of millennial disenchantment.
Noun
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As for Abdul-Mateen, the clownery will resume for him on Broadway.
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Tirhakah Love is a senior writer at New York Magazine and the host of the new evening newsletter Dinner Party, a daily email that touches on all things entertainment — that means film, television, music, tech, and gaming — plus politics and corporate clownery.
Noun
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Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which ran from 1996 to 2003, was known for its hijinks, practical jokes and special effects, and, of course, magic.
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Crews often found release in rowdiness, camaraderie, practical jokes, and the inevitable coping mechanisms of drink and drugs.
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Cite this Entry
“Monkeyshine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeyshine. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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