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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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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The project has been plagued by technical issues, supplier disputes, and alleged tomfoolery—empty mini tequila bottles were reportedly discovered on one of the airplanes under construction.
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The latest tomfoolery consisted of a posting on Twitter/X last week that provided a picture of a genuine Monet painting, and the picture was labeled as supposedly being AI-generated.
Noun
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Summer peppers team up with goat cheese and capers in this crowd-pleasing appetizer.
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Miss Lambert Steps Aboard Danger—a spy caper set in the 1930s—will be published by Knopf (US, Canada) and Faber (UK) on March 9, 2027.
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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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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The clowning might be a little too effortful.
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As the race unfolds in real time, there’s clowning, collisions, sabotage, surprises, comedy, chaos and more.
Noun
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While Iceland’s football team made a huge impression on the pitch a decade ago in France, famously beating England 2-1 in the round of 16, the antics of their supporters in the stands were arguably as memorable.
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The new iteration sees The Cat in the Hat, voiced by Bill Hader, fighting for his job as a professional mischief-maker brought in to cheer up lackluster children after his wild antics go to far.
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Cite this Entry
“Monkeyshines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeyshines. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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