as in joking
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
the new nanny will not tolerate such monkey business from her charges
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Recent Examples of monkey business
About 35 miles northwest of Chicago, there's some serious monkey business happening.
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Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 2 Sep. 2023
That's not monkey business.
—Clare Duffy, CNN, 16 Mar. 2021
And that’s no monkey business.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 17 Feb. 2014
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has some real monkey business going on!
—Wendy Geller, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for monkey business 
Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 2 Sep. 2023
That's not monkey business.
—Clare Duffy, CNN, 16 Mar. 2021
And that’s no monkey business.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 17 Feb. 2014
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has some real monkey business going on!
—Wendy Geller, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for monkey business
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkey business
Noun
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On my gondola, however, horseplay is not only encouraged, it is required.Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 24 Sep. 2024
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Prosecutors allege Alec Baldwin engaged in ‘horseplay’ and acted recklessly on ‘Rust’ set.Colleen Shalby, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
Noun
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Famously, Tommy Lee Jones could not sanction Jim Carrey’s buffoonery on Batman Forever.Bethy Squires, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2024
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But conservatism ought not to be equated with populist buffoonery and mendacity.Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 14 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Tirhakah Love is a senior writer at New York Magazine and the host of the new evening newsletter Dinner Party, a daily email that touches on all things entertainment — that means film, television, music, tech, and gaming — plus politics and corporate clownery.Vulture, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2022
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The Winx Club live action is a big clownery!Olivia Truffaut-Wong, refinery29.com, 25 Jan. 2021
Thesaurus Entries Near monkey business
Cite this Entry
“Monkey business.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkey%20business. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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