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
Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Nov. 2024
In 2008, a team led by Andrew Schwartz at the University of Pittsburgh showed that a monkey could control a robotic arm to feed itself using signals from its brain.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 25 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
The experimental film, which casts Williams as a CGI monkey, traces the rise, fall and resurgence of the British pop superstar who broke out as the youngest member of the boy band Take That to become a chart topping solo artist.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Nov. 2024
In 2008, a team led by Andrew Schwartz at the University of Pittsburgh showed that a monkey could control a robotic arm to feed itself using signals from its brain.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 25 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
Articles Related to monkey
Dictionary Entries Near monkey
Cite this Entry
“Monkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monkey. Accessed 30 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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