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 -
North Coast Rep will present a show Dec. 11-Dec. 14 with bubbling energy and comedic buffoonery in the British Pantomime version of The Adventures of Robin Hood as its next student production.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The trick is whether Anthropic can hold onto its soul in the process.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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It's riddled with cheffy tricks but not in alienating way.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Jazz are 15-35, which puts them at the sixth pick if zero lottery-ball tomfoolery happens.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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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
Noun
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When the oil is shimmering, add the garlic and capers and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 30 seconds.—
Kate Williams,
AJC.com,
2 Mar. 2026
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Each is topped with tartar sauce featuring olives, capers and sweet relish, plus lettuce.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Those dousings also prompted outrage from police leaders — who decried it as an inexcusable sign of disrespect, and even suggested that officers willing to walk away from that kind of horseplay should consider another line of work.—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
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Yet this is truly an ensemble show, in which each performer has multiple opportunities to shine, executing some splendidly silly bits together, such as delivering CPR to a sandwich or convincingly channeling their inner tots during some post-bedtime horseplay.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Was his Sam Altman gaming-PC escapade similar?—
Sam Kriss,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
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Michael said that shortly after Allocca fell, the teens with him posted videos of their near-fatal escapade to a closed Instagram group in which they could be seen fleeing the bridge with the victim’s phone.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Yes, this is the modern clowning that all the thinkpieces are thinking about.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2026
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With an impressive ability to do accents and a background in clowning, Storrie is made for this.—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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From funny Easter bunny antics and paw print cookies to a hip-hoppity trail, these clever Easter Bunny ideas are sure to make your little bunny's Easter extra special.—
Laura Fenton,
Parents,
5 Mar. 2026
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Some of the streamer’s viewers, used to his more aggressive antics, were disappointed by the relative lack of excitement.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Monkeyshines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeyshines. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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