as in joking
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
the new nanny will not tolerate such monkey business from her charges
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of monkey business
But there was some monkey business during his very first scene that gave him pause.
—
Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 10 May 2024
There’s a whole lot of monkey business going on this spring in movie theaters.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024
Orangutans: Bella and Segundo Relationship status: A blind date that didn't go so well
Sometimes matchmaking can feel a bit like monkey business.
—Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 7 Feb. 2024
About 35 miles northwest of Chicago, there's some serious monkey business happening.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 2 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for monkey business
Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 10 May 2024
There’s a whole lot of monkey business going on this spring in movie theaters.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024
Orangutans: Bella and Segundo Relationship status: A blind date that didn't go so well
Sometimes matchmaking can feel a bit like monkey business.
—Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 7 Feb. 2024
About 35 miles northwest of Chicago, there's some serious monkey business happening.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 2 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for monkey business
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkey business
Noun
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The action anime feature for everyone who couldn’t get enough of the horseplay in The Two Towers has finally cantered onto Max.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2025
-
Mike Vrabel’s back And the horseplay is going to stop, apparently.—
Josh Kendall,
The Athletic,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
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His is a sort of erudite buffoonery that consistently tap-dances between clever, self-aware, and patently stupid.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
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There is, in fact, real stagecraft along with the buffoonery.—
Susan B. Glasser,
The New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Monkey business.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkey%20business. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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