1
as in to clown (around)
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior
stop monkeying around in the house or you'll break something
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to goof (around)
to spend time in aimless activity
would rather just monkey around instead of doing work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkey (around)
Verb
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Quit horsing around — the Clydesdales are back!—
Breanne L. Heldman,
People.com,
10 Feb. 2025 -
In the video, Payne is shown horsing around with a large outdoor crowd and his bandmates, encouraging the fans to quiet their screaming and then raise the volume all the way back up.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA TODAY,
3 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Up in Scotland, meanwhile, marbles were lost as Rangers, who played most of the match with 10 men after an early red card for defender Robin Propper, hung on through a goalless battle with Athletic Club.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Drops were an issue, play strength due to smaller frame.—
Joe Buscaglia,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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As Molly and Guy start to fool around, things get hot and heavy, but Ernie has a job to do.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2025
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Plotwise, four teens who grew up with technology and like to fool around on their laptops invading various verboten sites and having a great time doing it one day happen upon a bright idea.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
8 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Skrillex has never restricted his distension of sonic materials to merely supersizing his bass lines, and among other things, the voices on this album are routinely phased and retuned and cut up.—
Michaelangelo Matos,
Rolling Stone,
1 Apr. 2025
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To prove that a three-piece solution was trickier, the mathematicians found that there were an infinite number of ways to cut up the triangle in this solution.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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From Viktor Hovland's wild looks with J. Lindeberg to Jason Day and Malbon, brands love to show off their spring outfits at Augusta National.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
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During the broadcast, Ripa also showed off a photo that didn't make the cut.—
Catherine Santino,
People.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Most asteroids hang about in the Mars to Jupiter region, and the ones near Earth obviously hang about a bit closer.—
Dana Taylor,
USA TODAY,
2 Oct. 2024
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Most asteroids hang about in the Mars to Jupiter region, and the ones near Earth obviously hang about a bit closer.—
Dana Taylor,
USA TODAY,
2 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Monkey (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkey%20%28around%29. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.
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