Monkey
'mʌŋki
Definitions
2 meaningsA primate mammal, typically with a long tail, that lives in trees.
'mʌŋki
A primate mammal.
The zoo had a variety of monkeys from different parts of the world.
💡 Simply: A monkey is like a super-smart animal that can climb trees and loves to eat bananas. Imagine a little furry friend that is super playful.
👶 For kids: A monkey is a fuzzy animal that climbs trees and likes to eat bananas!
More Examples
The children loved watching the monkeys play in their enclosure.
We saw a troop of monkeys foraging for food in the jungle.
How It's Used
"The researcher observed the monkeys in their natural habitat."
"Children often find monkeys fascinating at the zoo."
To play or tamper with something in a careless, clumsy, or foolish way; to mess around with.
'mʌŋki
To play or tamper with something, often in a clumsy or foolish way.
He was monkeying with the controls of the machine, causing problems.
💡 Simply: If you're monkeying around, you're playing or messing around with something. Like a monkey, you're fiddling with something, maybe not knowing exactly how it works.
👶 For kids: To monkey means to play around and maybe mess something up a little bit!
More Examples
Don't monkey around with the wiring; it's dangerous.
The children were monkeying in the garden.
How It's Used
"He was monkeying around with the computer settings."
"Stop monkeying with my things!"
Idioms & expressions
monkey business
Foolish, mischievous, or dishonest behavior.
"I suspected there was some monkey business going on behind the scenes."
make a monkey out of someone
To cause someone to appear foolish or ridiculous.
"The comedian tried to make a monkey out of the politician during the debate."
From Middle English *monkeye*, from a possible dialectal form of Italian *monnicchio* (small man), from *mona* (ape) or a borrowing from Arabic *maymun* (lucky, blessed) applied to apes.
The term 'monkey' has been used to describe apes and primates since the 16th century and was adopted into the english language, initially to denote small or mischievous creatures.
Memory tip
Think of a playful primate swinging through trees.