plural monkeys
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
2
a
: 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
monkeyed; monkeying
1
: to act in a grotesque or mischievous manner
Synonyms
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.
Verb
stop monkeying around in the house or you'll break something
would rather just monkey around instead of doing work
Recent Examples on the Web
Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 2 Nov. 2024
Geda the Chinese monkey, who lives in Shiyanhu Ecological Tourism Park, successfully predicted that Trump would win the 2016 presidential election against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
—Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for monkey 
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Noun
Traffic is minimal; instead, monkeys, iguanas, and the occasional jaguar have free reign.
—Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 2 Nov. 2024
Geda the Chinese monkey, who lives in Shiyanhu Ecological Tourism Park, successfully predicted that Trump would win the 2016 presidential election against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
—Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for monkey
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Cite this Entry
“Monkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monkey. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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Medical Definition
monkey
noun
mon·key
ˈməŋ-kē 
: a nonhuman primate mammal with the exception usually of the lemurs and tarsiers
especially
: any of the smaller longer-tailed primates as contrasted with the apes
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