1
as in addictions
a physiological need for certain drugs
I've got this monkey on my back, and going to detox is the only way to get it off
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in devils
an appealingly mischievous person
come back here, you little monkey!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of monkeys
Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
There are no snakes, no venomous spiders, no large predators like wild cats or monkeys, and no scorpions.
—James Barrett, Travel + Leisure, 4 Feb. 2026
Sometimes they’re even seen walking among the ruins of the imposing 10th-century Ranthambore Fort, a hikeable hilltop fortress in the park’s center brimming with langur monkeys.
—Laura Kiniry, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Jan. 2026
However, several types of bacteria were more abundant in the monkeys who did not bathe.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Jan. 2026
Some players like paper-thin picks and others prefer chunky monkeys.
—New Atlas, 19 Jan. 2026
Accompanying him are two monkeys, one carried on the man’s shoulder and the other led by hand.
—Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Initial sightings suggested there were four monkeys, but Hauser said officials were unable to confirm the exact number.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
The monkeys are believed to be vervet monkeys.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Noun
Portraying Black people as monkeys or apes is a racist trope with historical roots in eugenics.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
There are no snakes, no venomous spiders, no large predators like wild cats or monkeys, and no scorpions.
—James Barrett, Travel + Leisure, 4 Feb. 2026
Sometimes they’re even seen walking among the ruins of the imposing 10th-century Ranthambore Fort, a hikeable hilltop fortress in the park’s center brimming with langur monkeys.
—Laura Kiniry, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Jan. 2026
However, several types of bacteria were more abundant in the monkeys who did not bathe.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Jan. 2026
Some players like paper-thin picks and others prefer chunky monkeys.
—New Atlas, 19 Jan. 2026
Accompanying him are two monkeys, one carried on the man’s shoulder and the other led by hand.
—Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Initial sightings suggested there were four monkeys, but Hauser said officials were unable to confirm the exact number.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
The monkeys are believed to be vervet monkeys.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkeys
Noun
-
Some scientists think that the medications may even help with behavioral addictions, such as gambling and compulsive shopping.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Every day, Dan obeyed his own addictions, killing pain with packs of cigarettes and Coors banquet beers.—
Andrew Callahan,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There are sounds and shadows in the forest; the Devil, or devils, may be walking the earth.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
-
And then there are the infernal workers who make sure that Lucifer’s realm runs smoothly, among them farting devils, giants in chains, and a flying monster with the body of a serpent and the face of an honest man.—
Eric Bulson,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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More importantly, this origin story of a movie and a movement apes the joie de moviemaking and the jazzy looseness of the original to an absolutely amazing degree, replicating an off-the-cuff feeling that’s more than a second-hand buzz.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
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There are high columns crawling with ivy, nearly 12 acres of rolling lawns, teensy windows with teensy shutters, and a diminutive pool house that apes a fairy-tale cottage.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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From about 2011 to 2014, Gates emails Epstein directly, and often one of the pair copies Cohen or Nikolic.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
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Despite initial skepticism, the 1994 tournament drew record crowds and $50 million surplus, spurring MLS’s creation and innovations FIFA now copies worldwide.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Of all the former rascals, Symoné has enjoyed the longest and most successful career in entertainment.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
-
In the years since 2004’s Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Penn’s carved out a niche embodying big-talking, attention-grabbing rascals who say inappropriate things, then shrug their way through the consequences.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Newsom has been trying to raise his national profile, adopting a combative style that parodies Trump’s social media strategy with similar all-caps posts, memes and merchandise.—
Adriana Gomez Licon,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
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In another nod to Scream, Cheri Oteri parodies Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers as the comically unethical news anchor Gail Hailstorm.—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Monkeys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeys. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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