monkey

American  

[muhng-kee] / ˈmʌŋ ki /

noun

monkeys plural

1. any of more than 250 species of simian primates belonging to the two distinct lines of New World monkeys and Old World monkeys.

2. the fur of certain species of such long-haired animals.

3. a person whose behavior is likened to such an animal, as a mischievous, agile child or a mimic.

   My nephew is the most adorable little monkey—he'll try to climb anything he can reach.

4. Disparaging and Offensive. (used as a slur against a member of a racial or ethnic minority group, especially a Black person.)

5. a dance, deriving from the twist, in which the partners move their hands as if climbing a pole and jerk their heads back and forth.

6. Slang. an addiction to narcotics.

7. any of various mechanical devices, as the ram of a pile driver.

8. Coal Mining. a small passageway or opening.

9. British Slang. the sum of 500 pounds.

10. Australian Informal. a sheep.

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verb (used without object)

monkeyed, monkeying

1. Informal. to play or trifle idly; fool (often followed by around orwith ).

verb (used with object)

monkeyed, monkeying

1. to imitate; ape; mimic.

2. to mock.

idioms

1. a monkey on one's back,

   1. an addiction to a drug or drugs; narcotic dependency.

   2. an enduring and often vexing habit or urge.

   3. a burdensome problem, situation, or responsibility; personal affliction or hindrance.

2. make a monkey out of, to cause to appear ridiculous; make a fool of. Also make a monkey of.

monkey British  

/ ˈmʌŋkɪ /

noun

1. any of numerous long-tailed primates excluding the prosimians (lemurs, tarsiers, etc): comprise the families Cercopithecidae (Old World monkeys), Cebidae (New World monkeys), and Callithricidae (marmosets) See Old World monkey New World monkey

2. any primate except man

3. a naughty or mischievous person, esp a child

4. the head of a pile-driver ( monkey engine ) or of some similar mechanical device

5. (modifier) nautical denoting a small light structure or piece of equipment contrived to suit an immediate purpose

   a monkey foresail

   a monkey bridge

6. slang an addict's dependence on a drug

7. slang a butt of derision; someone made to look a fool (esp in the phrase make a monkey of )

8. slang (esp in bookmaking) £500

9. slang $500

10. slang a sheep

11. slang to care about or regard as important

    who gives a monkey's what he thinks?

12. slang

    1. to be troubled by a persistent problem

    2. to be addicted to a drug

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verb

1. (intr; usually foll by around, with, etc) to meddle, fool, or tinker

2. rare (tr) to imitate; ape

monkey More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing monkey

• fool (monkey) around
• make a fool (monkey) of
• more fun than a barrel of monkeys
• throw a monkey wrench

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Sensitive Note

See simianization.

Usage

Plural word for monkey The plural form of monkey is monkeys (not monkies). Words that end with a -y preceded by a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) are made plural by adding an -s at the end, as in chimney/chimneys and ray/rays. This can be confusing, because the plural form of words that end with a -y and are preceded by a consonant is made by changing the ending to -ies, as in party/parties, candy/candies, and duty/duties.

Other Word Forms

• monkeyish
  adjective
• monkeyishly
  adverb
• monkeyishness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of monkey

First recorded in 1520–30; origin uncertain; possibly from Low German; compare Middle Low German Moneke (name of son of Martin the Ape in the story of Reynard the Fox ), equivalent to mone- (akin to obsolete French monne “she-ape,” Spanish, Portuguese mono “ape”) + -ke diminutive suffix

Explanation

A monkey is a tropical, long-tailed animal known as a "primate." If you visit India or Sri Lanka, you're almost guaranteed to see monkeys, but don't monkey around with them. Many monkeys live in trees, although some are ground-dwelling, and increasingly many live in urban areas, scavenging food and interacting with people. Monkeys are famously playful and mischievous, and because of this, monkey is a common diminutive (or fond nickname) for impish kids, and "monkey business" is foolishness or deceitful behavior. When you monkey around, or monkey with something, you fool about or fiddle with it.

Example Sentences

Footage purportedly of Sunday's incident filmed by other zoogoers and shared on social media shows a person wearing a costume and carrying a stuffed toy jumping over a fence and into the monkey enclosure.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

Researchers say they have achieved a "world first" by successfully mapping the DNA of a monkey in Staffordshire.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

His daughter loves the rally monkey and the free games in the Pac-Man arcade, and he appreciates Moreno’s focus on affordability.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Random observations on the silliness of all the action—“That monkey just used his cuteness for crime!”—are about as close as we get to humor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

We hadn’t gone far when a little monkey came zipping by us.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Related Words

• ape
• baboon
• chimpanzee
• gorilla
• lemur
• orangutan