as in funning
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
all that monkeying was sure to end in someone or something getting hurt
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in prankish
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkeying
Adjective
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And then there’s Whitehead’s own work: erudite, prankish, experimental in a literal sense—the act of listening is sometimes the experiment.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025 -
And within the prankish world created by the production, not everyone was in on the joke.—
David Renard,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Verb
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Trying To Avoid The Generic However, having minimal buttons is hardly an original design strategy when so many EVs have followed this route (aping Tesla).—
James Morris,
Forbes.com,
17 Jan. 2026
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The failure of Hollywood’s first take on Godzilla, which reimagined this towering icon into a skittering lizard that was clearly aping more from Jurassic Park than any of the kaiju films that came before it, positioned the start of Godzilla’s third era as something of a return to form.—
James Grebey,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Cole follows up with a joking request to appear on an interlude on the forthcoming project, then asks whether West could send him a care package of clothes — which West agrees to — before exiting the stage.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
28 Dec. 2025
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Our poll’s options include a joking reference to Dan Marino.—
Greg Cote
December 20,
Miami Herald,
20 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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There is the nonchalant athleticism that belies impeccable instincts and an ornery competitiveness.—
Dennis Lin,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
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Sometimes he’d be sent out to deal with the more ornery guests in an effort to calm them.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The director’s boss also began copying Amber on emails requesting data.—
Chris Lipp,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Big data models learn by copying existing actions—how to fold clothes, write a dissertation, or create a video of a pig hoverboarding through space—by parsing previous examples and extrapolating similar behavior.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The clowning isn’t over just yet, though.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
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Art, meanwhile, occupies a lonely table in the pizzeria and tries to put on his best clowning act for the two women.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Newsom has capably sensed what Democrats want right now, and is delivering it with a roguish charisma.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
22 Jan. 2026
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He's egged on by owner Jonathan Yu—the outward opposite to the roguish tattooed chef and the game-for-anything, sly devil on his shoulder who hides a mischievous heart behind elegant suits.—
Su-Jit Lin,
Southern Living,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This approach avoids measurement errors introduced by elastic components while still mimicking biological energy storage and return.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
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Each stimulus was paired with laser stimulation of a brain region called the amygdala, mimicking a dopamine hit.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Monkeying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeying. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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