Illustration of macaque
: any of a genus (Macaca) of chiefly Asian monkeys typically having a sturdy build and including some short-tailed or tailless forms
especially
: rhesus monkey
Examples of macaque in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By 2001, the company was exporting a few thousand macaques each year for scientific research.
—
Byrefael Kubersky, science.org, 20 Mar. 2025
In the middle of the Caribbean Sea, over 1,000 rhesus macaques live on an island that measures less than a tenth of a mile across.
—Celia Ford, Vox, 3 Mar. 2025
Monkey around at Cayo Santiago Nicknamed Monkey Island, Cayo Santiago is a 38-acre patch of land off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico’s mainland that’s home to roughly 400 rhesus macaques.
—Amy Gordon, AFAR Media, 31 Jan. 2025
Meanwhile, in November, 43 rhesus macaque monkeys escaped a testing facility in South Carolina.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for macaque
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Byrefael Kubersky, science.org, 20 Mar. 2025
In the middle of the Caribbean Sea, over 1,000 rhesus macaques live on an island that measures less than a tenth of a mile across.
—Celia Ford, Vox, 3 Mar. 2025
Monkey around at Cayo Santiago Nicknamed Monkey Island, Cayo Santiago is a 38-acre patch of land off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico’s mainland that’s home to roughly 400 rhesus macaques.
—Amy Gordon, AFAR Media, 31 Jan. 2025
Meanwhile, in November, 43 rhesus macaque monkeys escaped a testing facility in South Carolina.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for macaque
Cite this Entry
“Macaque.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/macaque. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
: any of various monkeys mostly from Asia that includes some with either short or no tails
especially
: rhesus monkey
Etymology
French, from Portuguese macaco, from makaku, plural of kaku, name for an African monkey in one or more Bantu languages of Gabon and Congo
Medical Definition
: any of numerous short-tailed Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca and related genera chiefly of southern Asia
especially
: rhesus monkey
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