monkey

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noun

mon·key ˈməŋ-kē

plural monkeys

Synonyms of monkey next

: a nonhuman primate mammal with the exception usually of the lemurs and tarsiers

especially : any of the smaller longer-tailed catarrhine or platyrrhine primates as contrasted with the apes

: a person resembling a monkey

: a ludicrous figure : dupe

: any of various machines, implements, or vessels

especially : the falling weight of a pile driver

: a desperate desire for or addiction to drugs

—often used in the phrase monkey on one's back

broadly : a persistent or annoying encumbrance or problem

monkey

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verb

monkeyed; monkeying

transitive verb

: mimic, mock

intransitive verb

: to act in a grotesque or mischievous manner

: fool, trifle

—often used with around

he likes to monkey around with engines

: tamper

—usually used with with

don't monkey with the settings

Example Sentences

Noun He's quite a cheeky little monkey, isn't he? I've got this monkey on my back, and going to detox is the only way to get it off.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The monkey later tested positive for amphetamines and caffeine, the court records state. —

Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 15 Jan. 2023 At traffic lights, Presley would duck down, giving the appearance that the monkey was driving the car. —

Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 13 Jan. 2023 Baboons, members of the old world monkey subfamily, use twigs as tools to pry insects or pebbles from the ground. —

National Geographic, 12 Jan. 2023 The effect lasted throughout the 10-month study—as well as over the two and a half years the company has followed the monkey since then, Kathiresan says. —

Emily Mullin, WIRED, 23 Dec. 2022 The 2019 surgery lasted 6½ hours, records show, and concluded when the monkey was euthanized. —

Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2022 The 2019 surgery lasted 6 1/2 hours, records show, and concluded when the monkey was euthanized. —

Jacob Bogage, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Dec. 2022 Wilson also confirms that the monkey will finally speak in the third season. —

Nick Romano, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2022 The poor beleaguered horse would gallop and kick; the monkey would scream; the audience would roar. —

Stephen Greenblatt, The New York Review of Books, 1 Dec. 2022

Verb

The Bears will be prepared for the environment, but getting that Morgantown monkey off their back will take a lot more than imagined. —

Michael Haag, Dallas News, 10 Oct. 2022 With supply running low toward the end of most evenings, savvy bun fanatics don’t monkey around, routinely calling ahead to request an extra skillet of rolls set aside just for them. Ettan. —

Valerie Demicheva And Flora Chang, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 July 2021 But this experiment isn't about monkeying around—this a real security and safety hazard, the researchers point out in a new paper. —

Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, 31 Jan. 2020 To make matters more confusing, Apple monkeyed around with the names of the new stuff. —

Geoffrey A. Fowler, The Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2019 To make matters more confusing, Apple monkeyed around with the names of the new stuff. —

Geoffrey A. Fowler, The Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2019 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'monkey.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.