monkey with
phrasal verb
monkeyed with; monkeying with; monkeys with
informal
: to handle or play with (something) in a careless way : to monkey around with (something)
I told you not to monkey with the lawn mower.
Examples of monkey with in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The difficulty was organically blending a monkey with an eagle.
—
Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2025
Could an infinite number of monkeys with an infinite amount of time type the complete works of Shakespeare?
—Ali Slagle, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025
Among the bonsai trees, clogs, boomerangs, and other familial artifacts is a small toy monkey with black, void-like eyes and an unsettling grin.
—EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
Flying Monkey Mai Tai A Tropical Twist on a Classic
Channel the playful, mischievous spirit of Oz’s flying monkeys with this tropical Mai Tai made with rich rum, lime, and a touch of bitters.
—Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
One study found that treating animals such as guinea pigs and monkeys with these antibodies after they were infected with Marburg virus prevented serious illness and death.
—Jess Craig, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
That regulation, in turn, is limited to tugging at the edges of operators’ powers to monkey with traffic running over their networks, in a context in which the operators are dying to consolidate and control markets.
—Susan Crawford, WIRED, 1 Aug. 2016
Amid Mexico’s heat wave and drought, suffering birds are getting air-conditioning and monkeys with heatstroke are being rescued by non-governmental groups.
—Mark Stevenson and Maria Verza, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 June 2024
The study suggests, in other words, that human influence has monkeyed with a force that scholars, stargazers and scientists have puzzled over for millennia — something long considered a constant that was out of humanity’s control.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
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Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2025
Could an infinite number of monkeys with an infinite amount of time type the complete works of Shakespeare?
—Ali Slagle, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025
Among the bonsai trees, clogs, boomerangs, and other familial artifacts is a small toy monkey with black, void-like eyes and an unsettling grin.
—EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
Flying Monkey Mai Tai A Tropical Twist on a Classic
Channel the playful, mischievous spirit of Oz’s flying monkeys with this tropical Mai Tai made with rich rum, lime, and a touch of bitters.
—Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
One study found that treating animals such as guinea pigs and monkeys with these antibodies after they were infected with Marburg virus prevented serious illness and death.
—Jess Craig, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
That regulation, in turn, is limited to tugging at the edges of operators’ powers to monkey with traffic running over their networks, in a context in which the operators are dying to consolidate and control markets.
—Susan Crawford, WIRED, 1 Aug. 2016
Amid Mexico’s heat wave and drought, suffering birds are getting air-conditioning and monkeys with heatstroke are being rescued by non-governmental groups.
—Mark Stevenson and Maria Verza, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 June 2024
The study suggests, in other words, that human influence has monkeyed with a force that scholars, stargazers and scientists have puzzled over for millennia — something long considered a constant that was out of humanity’s control.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near monkey with
Cite this Entry
“Monkey with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monkey%20with. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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