mon·key (m?ng?k?)n. pl. mon·keys 1. a. Any of various tailed primates of the suborder Anthropoidea, including the macaques, baboons, capuchins, and marmosets, and excluding the apes.b. A nonhuman ape. Not in scientific use.2. One who behaves in a way suggestive of a monkey, as a mischievous child or a mimic.3. The iron block of a pile driver.4. Slang A person who is mocked, duped, or made to appear a fool: They made a monkey out of him.5. Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a person with dark skin.v. mon·keyed, mon·key·ing, mon·keys v.intr. Informal 1. To play, fiddle, trifle, or tamper with something: Who was monkeying with my cell phone?2. To behave in a mischievous or apish manner: Stop monkeying around!v.tr. To imitate or mimic; ape.Idiom: monkey on one’s back1. An addiction to a drug.2. An object of persistent worry or obsession.[Perhaps ultimately from Middle Low German Moneke, name of a young ape in the beast epic Reynke de Vos (“Reynard the Fox”), shortening of Simoneke, diminutive (used in punning reference to Latin s?mia, ape, monkey; see simian) of the Middle High German name Simon (equivalent to English Simeon Simon).]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.monkey (?m??k?) n1. (Animals) 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 monkey2. (Animals) any primate except man3. a naughty or mischievous person, esp a child4. (Mechanical Engineering) the head of a pile-driver (monkey engine) or of some similar mechanical device5. (Nautical Terms) (modifier) nautical denoting a small light structure or piece of equipment contrived to suit an immediate purpose: a monkey foresail; a monkey bridge. 6. (Recreational Drugs) slang US and Canadian an addict’s dependence on a drug7. slang a butt of derision; someone made to look a fool (esp in the phrase make a monkey of)8. (Gambling, except Cards) slang (esp in bookmaking) £5009. (Currencies) slang US and Canadian $50010. (Animals) slang archaic Austral a sheep11. give a monkey’s slang Brit to care about or regard as important: who gives a monkey’s what he thinks?. 12. have a monkey on one’s back slang a. to be troubled by a persistent problemb. US and Canadian to be addicted to a drugvb13. (intr; usually foll by around, with, etc) to meddle, fool, or tinker14. (tr) rare to imitate; ape[C16: perhaps from Low German; compare Middle Low German Moneke name of the ape’s son in the tale of Reynard the Fox]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014mon?key (?m?? ki) n., pl. ?keys, v. 1. any mammal of two major groupings of Primates, the Old World monkeys or catarrhines, and the New World monkeys or platyrrhines, both characterized by flattened faces, binocular vision, and usu. long tails. 2. the fur of certain long-haired monkeys. 3. a. a mischievous, agile child. b. fool; dupe. v.i. 4. Informal. to trifle idly; fool (often fol. by around or with). v.t. 5. to imitate; mimic. Idioms: 1. make a monkey (out) of, to cause to appear ridiculous; make a fool of. 2. monkey on one’s back, Slang. a. an addiction to a drug. b. a burdensome problem, situation, or responsibility. [1520?30; appar.