(in Christianity) a man who has withdrawn from the world for religious reasons, especially as a member of an order of cenobites living according to a particular rule and under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
(in any religion) a man who is a member of a monastic order.
a Buddhist monk.
Printing. a dark area on a printed page caused by uneven inking of the plate or type.
(James) Arthur Art, born 1957, U.S. football player.
Thelonious (Sphere), 1917–1982, U.S. jazz pianist and composer.
George. Monck, George.
Thelonious ( Sphere ) (θəˈləʊnɪəs). 1920–82, US jazz pianist and composer
a variant spelling of (George) Monck
a male member of a religious community bound by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience
(sometimes capital) a fancy pigeon having a bald pate and often large feathered feet
Monk, friar refer to members of special male groups whose lives are devoted to the service of the church, especially in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox denominations. A monk is properly a member of a monastery, under a superior; he is bound by a vow of stability, and is a co-owner of the community property of the monastery. Since the Reformation, monk and friar have been used as if they were the same. A friar is, however, strictly speaking, a member of a mendicant order, whose members are not attached to a monastery and own no community property.
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English munuc, from Late Latin monachus, from Greek monachós “hermit,” noun use of adjective: “solitary,” equivalent to món(os) “alone” + -achos adjective suffix
A monk is a man who has dedicated his life to religion, partly by giving up some aspects of regular, worldly life. Many monks live together in a religious community. To a greater or lesser extent, a monk has chosen to leave society and devote his life to prayer and service. In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, some monks pray unceasingly, while Buddhist monks often teach others, and Roman Catholic monks sing in choirs. In some cases, monks raise money for their churches by training dogs, baking bread, or even brewing beer. Originally, monk referred to men or women, though it's more common today to use nun for a woman.
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A typical post uses generative AI to reframe the “Star Wars” films’ genocidal space monk as a masculine, hyper-conservative, attentive father.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026
Gregor Mendel’s 1866 paper about genetics, Mr. Byrne writes, was overlooked perhaps “because he was outside the main scientific community—someone with a working-class background, and a monk at that.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
What draws Béatrice’s attention is a fantastical claim made by a Benedictine monk in an Italian magazine article from the 1970s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Luckily, you don’t have to live like a monk until retirement, said Michael Van Boening, director of the financial-planning group at Mercer Advisors.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Jacob and William just stare at Jeanne, embracing the giant red monk.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
It may not focus much on this area, according to Capital Alpha’s Monk.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Her detective, the Victorian policeman William Monk, suffers from amnesia, and sometimes wonders exactly who he is.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
In his haunting comeback episode, a man in a "Daft Monk" Halloween costume - a play on music duo Daft Punk - appears to be accidentally killed over and over again by Springfield residents.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
The urban aesthetic was augmented with a bluesy, funky score by composer Jim Lang, inspired by Thelonious Monk, Vince Guaraldi and Beck.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
“She never tells us where anything is. It took me half the night to find the Monk Building.”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Charterhouse was established in Perth for monks of the Carthusian Order, external, and at the heart of the complex was a lavishly decorated church.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
SHANGRI-LA, China—When China’s masses want to experience the Tibet of chanting, crimson-robed monks and prayer flags flapping in the wind, they don’t go to Tibet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
“The Buddhist Bug” was created in 2011, a few years before “The Red Chador,” and inspired by the pervasiveness of the saffron-colored robes worn by monks in Cambodia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
A group of 35 monks and five lay followers were walking along a roadside in Mukdahan province during a pilgrimage when a truck ploughed into them.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
So the monks were tearing the beautiful lines of ivy away.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
