monkey
noun
mon·key
| \ ˈməŋ-kē
\
\
plural monkeys
Definition of monkey
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: 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
2a
: a person resembling a monkey
b
: a ludicrous figure : dupe
3
: any of various machines, implements, or vessels
especially
: the falling weight of a pile driver
4
: 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
verb
monkeyed;
monkeying
Definition of monkey (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to act in a grotesque or mischievous manner
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Synonyms for monkey
Synonyms: Noun
addiction, dependence (also dependance), habit, jones [slang]
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Examples of monkey in a Sentence
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 great minds come down through the years like monkeys descending from high branches. — courant.com, "CT Poets’ Corner: The prose poetry of Charles Rafferty reflects life’s tiny moments," 18 July 2019 The last one is unique to parrots and humans, which might explain why nonhuman primates like monkeys do not spontaneously bust a move to music. — Katie Camero, Science | AAAS, "Snowball the dancing cockatoo is back—with a whole new set of moves," 8 July 2019 These high dimension figures are all depicted as arrangements of monkeys. — Josh Fischman, Scientific American, "Beautiful Math," 22 May 2019 The new proposals please one of the field’s earliest experimental pioneers, Dietmar Plenz of the National Institute of Mental Health, who has found evidence of power laws in the neuron firing patterns of monkeys. — Jennifer Ouellette, Quanta Magazine, "Brains May Teeter Near Their Tipping Point," 14 June 2018 The twins’ genetic blueprints were swiped from fetal cells of another monkey. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "These baby monkeys are first cloned primates created using the Dolly method," 24 Jan. 2018 Neuralink's technology has been tested in monkeys, executives revealed. — Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY, "Elon Musk touts brain implant technology to treat health conditions, enable 'telepathy'," 17 July 2019 In 2012, Chiu investigated an outbreak of adenovirus in laboratory monkeys at UC Davis, in which the virus suddenly developed the ability to pass between animals and humans. — Erin Allday, SFChronicle.com, "Death of 9-year-old Milpitas boy to common virus perplexes doctors," 14 July 2019 Prior to that, the experimental drug had been tested only in monkeys. — Katie Hunt, CNN, "Experimental Ebola treatments effective in lab study," 9 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Prince Harry is committed to conservation efforts around the world, focusing much of his work in Africa Prince Harry is just monkeying around! The royal headed to Dr. Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Global Leadership Meeting on Tuesday. — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE.com, "Prince Harry Reenacts a 'Chimp Greeting' with Dr. Jane Goodall — See the Hilarious Moment!," 23 July 2019 Bang, who monkeyed around with Elisabeth Moss in The Square and faced Claire Foy in The Girl in the Spider’s Web, strokes his fangs as the titular vampire, with blood splatter coating his black-and-white ensemble. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "Dracula arrives in first blood-splattered look at Sherlock creators' miniseries," 5 July 2019 Vieux Carre home owners and hoteliers have traditionally applied grease to the poles to prevent such monkeying around. — Doug Maccash, NOLA.com, "Greasing of the Poles: The slippery Mardi Gras ceremony is Feb. 9," 25 Jan. 2018 But there’s no stopping the construction now, so signing Kaepernick would not monkey-wrench the stadium. — Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, "Colin Kaepernick a phone call away from being Raiders’ backup QB," 20 Jan. 2018 Prince Harry is committed to conservation efforts around the world, focusing much of his work in Africa Prince Harry is just monkeying around! The royal headed to Dr. Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Global Leadership Meeting on Tuesday. — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE.com, "Prince Harry Reenacts a 'Chimp Greeting' with Dr. Jane Goodall — See the Hilarious Moment!," 23 July 2019 Bang, who monkeyed around with Elisabeth Moss in The Square and faced Claire Foy in The Girl in the Spider’s Web, strokes his fangs as the titular vampire, with blood splatter coating his black-and-white ensemble. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "Dracula arrives in first blood-splattered look at Sherlock creators' miniseries," 5 July 2019 Vieux Carre home owners and hoteliers have traditionally applied grease to the poles to prevent such monkeying around. — Doug Maccash, NOLA.com, "Greasing of the Poles: The slippery Mardi Gras ceremony is Feb. 9," 25 Jan. 2018 But there’s no stopping the construction now, so signing Kaepernick would not monkey-wrench the stadium. — Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, "Colin Kaepernick a phone call away from being Raiders’ backup QB," 20 Jan. 2018These 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.
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More Definitions for monkey
monkey
noun
English Language Learners Definition of monkey
: a type of animal that is closely related to apes and humans and that has a long tail and usually lives in trees
chiefly British
: a person (especially a child) who causes trouble in a playful way
See the full definition for monkey in the English Language Learners Dictionary
monkey
noun
mon·key
| \ ˈməŋ-kē
\
\
plural monkeys
Kids Definition of monkey
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a furry animal of warm regions that has a long tail and that along with the apes is most closely related to humans
monkey
verb
monkeyed;
monkeying
Kids Definition of monkey (Entry 2 of 2)
1