Illustration of macaque
: any of a genus (Macaca) of chiefly Asian monkeys typically having a sturdy build and including some short-tailed or tailless forms
especially
: rhesus monkey
Examples of macaque in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The monkeys stop to drink the water in the footage, and then more macaques appear – including a larger monkey and another carrying a baby.
—
Raven Brunner, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
An adult macaque’s intestines can be over a dozen feet long, and weigh a good deal more than a ball of yarn.
—Celia Ford, Vox, 3 Mar. 2025
The separation imposed by Wallace’s Line has shaped their behaviors, as well; while crab-eating macaques are opportunistic and often raid crops and human settlements, booted macaques remain more reclusive, relying on the secluded resources of Sulawesi’s forests.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
To examine whether macaques possess the ability to learn such associations, the team played the animals a variety of sounds—either human words or monkey vocalizations—and followed each sound with a specific image on a screen.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for macaque
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Raven Brunner, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
An adult macaque’s intestines can be over a dozen feet long, and weigh a good deal more than a ball of yarn.
—Celia Ford, Vox, 3 Mar. 2025
The separation imposed by Wallace’s Line has shaped their behaviors, as well; while crab-eating macaques are opportunistic and often raid crops and human settlements, booted macaques remain more reclusive, relying on the secluded resources of Sulawesi’s forests.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
To examine whether macaques possess the ability to learn such associations, the team played the animals a variety of sounds—either human words or monkey vocalizations—and followed each sound with a specific image on a screen.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for macaque
Cite this Entry
“Macaque.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/macaque. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
: any of various monkeys mostly from Asia that includes some with either short or no tails
especially
: rhesus monkey
Etymology
French, from Portuguese macaco, from makaku, plural of kaku, name for an African monkey in one or more Bantu languages of Gabon and Congo
Medical Definition
: any of numerous short-tailed Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca and related genera chiefly of southern Asia
especially
: rhesus monkey
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share