1
as in buffoonery
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
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 monkeyshines
Noun
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Death by Lightning, adapted by Mike Makowsky from Candice Millard’s 2011 nonfiction book and directed by Matt Ross, hums with the strength of these performances, particularly Shannon’s quiet composure and Macfadyen mining new depths of buffoonery.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025 -
Scholz-Carlson’s staging pushes against the deep misogyny of Da Ponte’s libretto by accentuating the buffoonery of the two male romantic leads.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The trick is to choose a nude shade that compliments your skin tone and apply a top coat so glossy and reflective your nails almost appear see-through.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
23 Jan. 2026
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But the trick becomes doing it over and over again, in a way that preserves arm health.—
Tribune News Service,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But enough of all that tomfoolery, because there is one person on the beach who knows exactly what is about to happen!—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Nov. 2025
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This prevalence, however, has led to widespread quality-control tomfoolery.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Whether scoffing the fisherman's haul at Ristorante Bar la Vela, margaritas and caper paté at Kaya Kaya overlooking the harbor of Scauri, or simply scrambling onto a rocky perch with a cold beer.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
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Following just behind them were Josh Safdie’s wild ping-pong caper Marty Supreme (13), Yorgos Lanthimos’ black comedy Bugonia (12) and Guillermo del Toro’s gothic classic Frankenstein (12).—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There was reportedly no horseplay or swerving during the ride, according to 9News.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
22 Dec. 2025
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But what had once been raucous and raunchy mischief, was now benign horseplay.—
Time,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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One of our group flew her own airplane and has great stories of her escapades.—
David Kravet,
Hartford Courant,
19 Jan. 2026
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In addition to their impressive brains, raccoons’ dexterous hands play a key role in their cognitively creative escapades.—
Kelly Lambert,
Fortune,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The clowning isn’t over just yet, though.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
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Art, meanwhile, occupies a lonely table in the pizzeria and tries to put on his best clowning act for the two women.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The creep-fest about filmmakers venturing into a Maryland forest to document a local legend freaked out a generation of horror fans with its shaky-cam antics and constant sense of dread.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
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Nathan is up to here with his antics.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Monkeyshines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeyshines. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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