monkey

[ muhng-kee ]

/ ˈmʌŋ ki /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR monkey ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural mon·keys.

any mammal of the order Primates, including the guenons, macaques, langurs, and capuchins, but excluding humans, the anthropoid apes, and, usually, the tarsier and prosimians. Compare New World monkey, Old World monkey.

the fur of certain species of such long-haired animals.

a person likened to such an animal, as a mischievous, agile child or a mimic.

a dance, deriving from the twist, in which the partners move their hands as if climbing a pole and jerk their heads back and forth.

Slang. an addiction to narcotics.

any of various mechanical devices, as the ram of a pile driver.

Coal Mining. a small passageway or opening.

British Slang. the sum of 500 pounds.

Australian Informal. a sheep.

verb (used without object), mon·keyed, mon·key·ing.

Informal. to play or trifle idly; fool (often followed by around or with).

verb (used with object), mon·keyed, mon·key·ing.

to imitate; ape; mimic.

to mock.

Idioms for monkey

a monkey on one's back, Slang.

an addiction to a drug or drugs; narcotic dependency.
an enduring and often vexing habit or urge.
a burdensome problem, situation, or responsibility; personal affliction or hindrance.

make a monkey out of, to cause to appear ridiculous; make a fool of. Also make a monkey of.

Origin of monkey

1520–30; apparently < Low German; compare Middle Low German Moneke (name of son of Martin the Ape in the story of Reynard), equivalent to mone- (akin to obsolete French monne she-ape, Spanish, Portuguese mono ape) + -ke diminutive suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM monkey

mon·key·ish, adjective mon·key·ish·ly, adverb mon·key·ish·ness, noun

Words nearby monkey

monk, monk seal, monk's cloth, monk's pepper tree, monkery, monkey, monkey bars, monkey block, monkey bread, monkey bridge, monkey business

British Dictionary definitions for monkey on one's back

monkey

/ (ˈmʌŋkɪ) /

noun

any of numerous long-tailed primates excluding the prosimians (lemurs, tarsiers, etc): comprise the families Cercopithecidae (Old World monkeys), Cebidae (New World monkeys), and Callithricidae (marmosets) See Old World monkey, New World monkey Related adjective: simian

any primate except man

a naughty or mischievous person, esp a child

the head of a pile-driver (monkey engine) or of some similar mechanical device

(modifier) nautical denoting a small light structure or piece of equipment contrived to suit an immediate purpose a monkey foresail; a monkey bridge

US and Canadian slang an addict's dependence on a drug

slang a butt of derision; someone made to look a fool (esp in the phrase make a monkey of)

slang (esp in bookmaking) £500

US and Canadian slang $500

Australian slang, archaic a sheep

give a monkey's British slang to care about or regard as important who gives a monkey's what he thinks?

have a monkey on one's back slang

to be troubled by a persistent problem
US and Canadian to be addicted to a drug

verb

(intr; usually foll by around, with, etc) to meddle, fool, or tinker

(tr) rare to imitate; ape

Word Origin for monkey

C16: perhaps from Low German; compare Middle Low German Moneke name of the ape's son in the tale of Reynard the Fox

Idioms and Phrases with monkey on one's back (1 of 2)

monkey on one's back

Drug addiction, as in He'd had a monkey on his back for at least two years. [Slang; first half of 1900s]

A vexing problem or burden, as in This project has proved to be a monkey on my back—there seems to be no end to it. Both usages allude to being unable to shake off the animal from one's back.

Idioms and Phrases with monkey on one's back (2 of 2)

monkey

In addition to the idioms beginning with monkey

monkey business
monkey on one's back

also see:

fool (monkey) around
make a fool (monkey) of
more fun than a barrel of monkeys
throw a monkey wrench

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

monkey

noun, plural mon·keys.

verb (used without object), mon·keyed, mon·key·ing.

verb (used with object), mon·keyed, mon·key·ing.

Idioms for monkey

Origin of monkey

OTHER WORDS FROM monkey

Words nearby monkey

British Dictionary definitions for monkey on one's back

noun

verb

Word Origin for monkey

Idioms and Phrases with monkey on one's back (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with monkey on one's back (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

monkey

noun, plural mon·keys.

verb (used without object), mon·keyed, mon·key·ing.

verb (used with object), mon·keyed, mon·key·ing.

Idioms for monkey

Origin of monkey

OTHER WORDS FROM monkey

Words nearby monkey

Words related to monkey on one's back

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for monkey on one's back

noun

verb

Word Origin for monkey

Idioms and Phrases with monkey on one's back (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with monkey on one's back (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for monkey on one's back