(in Christianity) a man who has withdrawn from the world for religious reasons, especially as a member of an order of cenobites living according to a particular rule and under vows of poverty,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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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
However, Sirisena personally intervened and granted Gnanasara a presidential pardon in 2019 after the monk had served less than a year of his sentence.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Users who have downloaded his app include a strip club owner, a Buddhist monk and parents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
One is about the dog that accompanied—and inspired—the Cynic philosopher Diogenes; another centers on the canine companion of a Buddhist monk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Nobody has an answer – not Lady Eboshi, certainly not San’s wolf mother or a monk who turns out not to be a monk at all.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Easter was just such a drifting holiday, so every few generations a monk was drafted to calculate the dates when Easter would fall for the next few hundred years.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Monk didn’t recover his money, but he showed he was taking control of the narrative.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Their relationship had been fractured for years, and Monk was in no mood to get involved in the latest crisis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Monk also started sending money via Cash App for bail, rehab and psychiatric medication.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
After Marsalis won, the prize was awarded to Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk and others.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
He had wanted to ask if Sticky’s parents knew he’d spent “half the night” looking for the Monk Building.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
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
There, we spoke to monks at the Kirti monastery in Aba, or Ngaba in Tibetan, which was once at the heart of its resistance to Beijing.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
But the action is nullified by the fact that Ono assumes the stoic posture of the Buddhist monks seen in the news at the time setting themselves aflame in protest of the Vietnam War.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Pong had always been taught that monks never lied.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
Definitions 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.
