monkey with

phrasal verb

monkeyed with; monkeying with; monkeys with
informal
: to handle or play with (something) in a careless way : to monkey around with (something)
I told you not to monkey with the lawn mower.

Examples of monkey with in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In almost all cases, these depictions show what appear to be a species of baboon known as Papio hamadryas, large monkeys with a dog-like muzzle. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024 The company has previously demonstrated the ability of the implant to stimulate movement in pigs and monkeys, even demonstrating a monkey with a brain chip playing a video game. ABC News, 30 Jan. 2024 Allegedly, Musk misled investors about Neuralink’s safety due to the reports that the experiment’s monkeys with implants suffered various health issues, such as brain swelling, seizures and paralysis. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 30 Jan. 2024 Researchers in China even briefly initiated pregnancies in monkeys with embryo models. Quanta Magazine, 19 Dec. 2023 The attorney general’s office investigator saw issues with other animals as well, including a monkey with significant hair loss, a flamingo with a dirty pond and a giraffe that had overgrown hooves during a visit to the zoo on Oct. 25, according to a search warrant. Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2023 Researchers have created a monkey with two different sets of DNA by injecting stem cells from one monkey embryo into another of the same species. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2023 Pied tamarins are 11 to 12 inch long monkeys with furry bodies and bare faces. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Sep. 2023 Whether a warmer atmosphere is monkeying with the jet stream is unproven. Evan Bush, NBC News, 28 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monkey with.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near monkey with

Cite this Entry

“Monkey with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monkey%20with. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on monkey with

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!