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monkey
[ muhng-kee ]
noun
- any of more than 250 species of simian primates belonging to the two distinct lines of New World monkeys and Old World monkeys.
- the fur of certain species of such long-haired animals.
- 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.
- Disparaging and Offensive. (used as a slur against a member of a racial or ethnic minority group, especially a Black person.)
- 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.
- Slang. an addiction to narcotics.
- any of various mechanical devices, as the ram of a pile driver.
- Coal Mining. a small passageway or opening.
- British Slang. the sum of 500 pounds.
- Australian Informal. a sheep.
verb (used without object)
- Informal. to play or trifle idly; fool (often followed by around or with ).
monkey
/ ˈʌŋɪ /
noun
- 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 simian
- any primate except man
- a naughty or mischievous person, esp a child
- the head of a pile-driver ( monkey engine ) or of some similar mechanical device
- modifier nautical denoting a small light structure or piece of equipment contrived to suit an immediate purpose
a monkey foresail
a monkey bridge
- slang.an addict's dependence on a drug
- slang.a butt of derision; someone made to look a fool (esp in the phrase make a monkey of )
- slang.(esp in bookmaking) £500
- slang.$500
- slang.a sheep
- give a monkey's slang.to care about or regard as important
who gives a monkey's what he thinks?
- have a monkey on one's back slang.
- to be troubled by a persistent problem
- to be addicted to a drug
verb
- intr; usually foll by around, with, etc to meddle, fool, or tinker
- rare.tr to imitate; ape
Sensitive Note
Other Word Forms
- Dz·· adjective
- Dz···ly adverb
- Dz···ness noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of monkey1
Word History and Origins
Origin of monkey1
Idioms and Phrases
- a monkey on one's back, Slang.
- an addiction to a drug or drugs; narcotic dependency.
- an enduring and often vexing habit or urge.
- a burdensome problem, situation, or responsibility; personal affliction or hindrance.
- make a monkey out of, to cause to appear ridiculous; make a fool of. Also make a monkey of.
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
Example Sentences
A Texas man was sentenced for smuggling six baby Mexican spider monkeys, too young to be separated from their mothers, into Southern California.
A Texas man was busted for trafficking vulnerable Mexican baby spider monkeys, who were too young to be separated from their mothers, into San Diego and selling them on Facebook.
A self-anointed “amateur primatologist” who has given talks about the evidence for the existence of Sasquatch, Saxon leaned into real-life primates for his design, primarily the endangered golden snub-nosed monkey found in remote Chinese mountains.
In his version, the giant monkey turns out to be a machine.
Before I let you go, is there a monkey story that you have to share?
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Is The Plural Of Monkey?
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.
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.
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