1
as in addiction
a physiological need for certain drugs I've got this monkey on my back, and going to detox is the only way to get it off
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in devil
an appealingly mischievous person come back here, you little monkey!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of monkey
Ed Silverman, STAT, 20 Apr. 2026 The hashtag #HangInTherePunch also circulated on social media to show support for the baby monkey. —Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Valerie Demicheva and Flora Chang, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 July 2021 But this experiment isn't about monkeying around—this a real security and safety hazard, the researchers point out in a new paper. —Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, 31 Jan. 2020 See All Example Sentences for monkey
Noun
But the case also appears to highlight a lack of guidelines for assessing the health of monkeys before they are shipped for medical research. —Ed Silverman, STAT, 20 Apr. 2026 The hashtag #HangInTherePunch also circulated on social media to show support for the baby monkey. —Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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. —Valerie Demicheva and Flora Chang, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 July 2021 But this experiment isn't about monkeying around—this a real security and safety hazard, the researchers point out in a new paper. —Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, 31 Jan. 2020 See All Example Sentences for monkey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkey
Noun
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And what fame gave me, what addiction fueled was opportunity for endless consent, which led me to be a hedonist and a fool and an exploiter of women.— Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
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For me, Storage Wars was an addiction and Darrell was the loveable loser who was always looking for that $40 bill in a pile of junk.— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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While the movie has some fun asking whether people actually want to know everything about their partners (a devil’s bargain since time immemorial), its real interest lies in how that knowledge is colored by who shares it.— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
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Its theme — that the rich are different, and in not-good ways — meant she’d be forced into a ritualistic game of hide-and-seek, running for her life from her devil-worshipping, masters-of-the-world in-laws.— Michael Ordoña, Houston Chronicle, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There’s a word for this type of storytelling, and Taccone deserves credit for delivering a superior version of this without outright aping its most famous practitioner.— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2026
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But the series’ genre switch is just a theatrical exercise, like Euphoria is putting on another play, this one against a Harmony Korine– and Quentin Tarantino–aping backdrop.— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Sodium-ion technology is seen as a lower-cost alternative that could reduce dependence on lithium, cobalt, and nickel.— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Apr. 2026
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Continue reading … KEY TO LONGEVITY — Diet expert warns people away from supplement dependence.— , FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Right now, the rascal in him slumbers, briefly glimpsed now and again behind dark shades.— Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
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Of all the former rascals, Symoné has enjoyed the longest and most successful career in entertainment.— Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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There will be plenty of The Onion’s signature style of news satire, Collins said, noting that much of the initial content will parody social media influencers and media figures like Jones who peddle questionable supplements.— Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
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Murphy famously parodied Wonder on SNL, but the two became friends when Wonder joined him for a sketch on the show.— John Ross, Vanity Fair, 19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Imagine walking into your local garden center on a Tuesday morning and being told you can’t browse the petunias because there’s a rogue otter loose inside.— Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2026
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And yet, there is worry that one of the new personalities might go rogue; do something that doesn’t adhere to an organization’s journalism standards; or, most challenging, do something controversial on their own platform that becomes associated with the mainstream news venue that employs them.— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If Nick was holding one of them and looking concerned, the baby would mimic his expression.— Amanda Champagne-Meadows, Deadline, 25 Apr. 2026
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Researchers must not only mimic what evolution has managed to produce but also copy nature’s methods and use renewable supplies to build the materials of tomorrow.— Caitlin Kennedy, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Monkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/monkey. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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