What does "monkey" mean?
A member of the clade Simiiformes other than those in the clade Hominoidea containing apes, generally (but not universally) distinguished by small size, tails, and cheek pouches.
Monkey
/ˈmʌŋki/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A member of the clade Simiiformes other than those in the clade Hominoidea containing apes, generally (but not universally) distinguished by small size, tails, and cheek pouches.
- Grammar: monkey is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: rascal, scamp, anger, ape.
- Useful contrasts: apply, concentrate, deterministic tester.
- Usage evidence: Hey, look, a three-headed monkey!
How to use "monkey"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "monkey" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "monkey" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "monkey" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "monkey" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "monkey" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "rascal" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "monkey", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A member of the clade Simiiformes other than those in the clade Hominoidea containing apes, generally (but not universally) distinguished by small size, tails, and cheek pouches.
"He had been visiting an area zoo when a monkey swung from its tree perch, swiped his glasses and hurled them into a hippo hole."
- 2 any of various long-tailed primates (excluding the prosimians) wordnet
- 3 Any simian including humans.
- 4 one who is playfully mischievous wordnet
- 5 Any simian primate other than hominids, any monkey or ape. broadly, proscribed, sometimes
"Chimpanzees are known to form bands to hunt and kill other monkeys."
Show 17 more definitions
- 6 A human considered to resemble monkeys in some way, including:; A naughty or mischievous person, especially a child. figuratively, informal, offensive, sometimes
"Stop misbehaving, you cheeky little monkey!"
- 7 A human considered to resemble monkeys in some way, including:; The person in the motorcycle sidecar in sidecar racing. figuratively, slang
- 8 A human considered to resemble monkeys in some way, including:; Synonym of idiot: a person of minimal intelligence. derogatory, figuratively
- 9 A human considered to resemble monkeys in some way, including:; Synonym of uggo: an unattractive person, especially one whose face supposedly resembles a monkey's. derogatory, figuratively
- 10 A human considered to resemble monkeys in some way, including:; Synonym of puppet: a person dancing to another's tune, a person controlled or directed by another. derogatory, figuratively, slang
"No, no, no, not you. I want to talk to the organ grinder, not the monkey."
- 11 A human considered to resemble monkeys in some way, including:; A menial employee who does a repetitive job supposedly requiring minimal intelligence. derogatory, figuratively, slang, usually
"code monkey"
- 12 A human considered to resemble monkeys in some way, including:; A black person. ethnic, figuratively, offensive, slang, slur
- 13 A penis. slang, uncommon, vulgar
- 14 A small trading vessel of the sixteenth century. historical
- 15 The vessel in which a mess receives its full allowance of grog. slang
- 16 The weight of a pile driver or drop hammer.
"Someone handed me a monkey of grog. I forced myself to sip it, not down it."
- 17 A fluid consisting of hydrochloric acid and zinc, used in the process of soldering.
- 18 Synonym of five hundred, especially (British) 500 pounds sterling or (US, dated) 500 dollars. slang
"[I] gave her a monkey — just half my last thou — and started to earn some more."
- 19 Synonym of face card.
- 20 A person's temper, said to be "up" when they are angry. slang
"I was out rather late one night, when the foreman of my department, who owed me a grudge, abused me like a dog, and told me I might consider myself dismissed, and that I should be paid my wages in the morning. I don't know how I kept my hands off him, for my monkey was up; […]"
- 21 A drug habit; an addiction; a compulsion. slang
"Monkey: a habit, as in "I have a monkey on my back." Usually used when one is sick from lack of drugs."
- 22 A dance popularized by Major Lance in 1963, now usually only its upper-body dance move involving exaggerated drumming motions.
"Do the Monkey, yeah, Do the Monkey, yeah, Ah, twist them hips, Let your backbone slip, Now move your feet, Get on the beat..."
Verb
- 1 To meddle; to mess (with). informal, intransitive
"Please don't monkey with the controls if you don't know what you're doing."
- 2 do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly wordnet
- 3 To mimic; to ape. transitive
"He winked at Liza, who monkeyed him, holding her own eye shut."
- 4 play around with or alter or falsify, usually secretively or dishonestly wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 The ninth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.
Antonyms
Example
"Hey, look, a three-headed monkey!"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "monkey"?
Common synonyms include: rascal, scamp, anger, ape, ass, babe.
How do you use "monkey" in a sentence?
Hey, look, a three-headed monkey!
How do you pronounce "monkey"?
Pronounced /ˈmʌŋki/.
Etymology
Uncertain: * May be derived from monk + -ey (diminutive suffix), * or borrowed from Middle Low German Moneke, the name of the son of Martin the Ape in Reynard the Fox (which may represent an unattested colloquial Middle Low German *moneke, *moneken), itself of uncertain origin: ** Possibly derived from a Romance term represented by Late Middle French monne (whence Modern French mone (“monkey”)) or earlier Old French monnekin (“monkey”), originally Monnekin, the name of a monkey in Li Dis d'Entendement. Compare also Old French and Middle French monin (“monkey”). *** The French terms may have been borrowed from Italian monna (“monkey”), from Old Spanish mona (“female monkey”), itself a shortening of mamona, variant of maimón, from Arabic مَيْمُون (maymūn, “baboon”)). *** However, Old French monnekin may alternatively be unrelated to the other terms, instead being a borrowing of Early Middle Dutch mannekin (a diminutive of a personal name or surname; hence, nickname, literally “miniature man”); see modern manneken.