(in Christianity) a man who has withdrawn from the world for religious reasons, especially as a member of an order of cenobites living according to a particular rule and under vows of poverty,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.
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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
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
The narrator of “The Behavior of the Hawkweeds” ruminates on her grandfather’s childhood encounters with Gregor Mendel, the monk whose experiments with pea plants laid the groundwork for modern genetics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The monk turned his head away from her and looked down at the ground.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
Kaur, who runs Monk Bretton's Ocean Fish Bar, in Barnsley, said: "To have me painted by someone that's painted the Queen, it's just amazing."
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Monk said there has not yet been much benefit for consumers, but that could still come in the future.
From MarketWatch ● 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
Amanda Monk waits just behind, hip jutted out, Joe Wyatt and Ryan Cross on either side of her.
From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
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
In Thailand, Buddhist monks take a vow of celibacy and also renounce material possessions.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Both monks have portrayed themselves as defenders of Buddhism against what they describe as Islamist extremism, although Gnanasara has denied any role in the riots.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
If medieval monks had only known of zero, our calendar would not be in such a muddle.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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