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
Relevance
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
-
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
-
This dish will do the trick with crispy chicken and fresh zucchini tossed in a tender linguine with a robust lemon flavor.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
7 Jan. 2026
-
But even an invitation to hang out again, perhaps paired with a gift card to a local lunch spot, could do the trick.—
Mandy Len Catron,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
This prevalence, however, has led to widespread quality-control tomfoolery.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
There was reportedly no horseplay or swerving during the ride, according to 9News.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
22 Dec. 2025
-
But what had once been raucous and raunchy mischief, was now benign horseplay.—
Time,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
With lovely underwater footage and philosophical yet accessible themes, this gentle marine escapade is a celebration of our bonds with wildlife.—
Tomris Laffly,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Dec. 2025
-
No one knows why; no one has a telephone in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains, so John Boy sets out into a winter storm to find his daddy, having various escapades with the quirky residents of their backwoods community—a Black preacher, a pair of old-lady bootleggers, a turkey thief—along the way.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
As with older clowning traditions, the early American circus clowns were adults performing taboo acts to shock and delight other adults.—
Time,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Snoop Dogg kept pace with Steve Kerr’s fiery courtside antics, providing hilarious commentary as the Warriors coach was ejected during a Clippers victory.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
After much acrimony over the rising costs of police protection and Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony’s confrontational antics, the North Broward city is poised to permanently sever ties with the sheriff’s office after 35 years.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Monkeyshines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeyshines. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share