# monkey around

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/monkey-around
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To act foolishly.

## Examples

- Stop monkeying around and finish your homework.
- The teacher told the students to stop monkeying around and focus on the lesson.
- Instead of addressing the serious financial crisis, the board members spent the entire meeting monkeying around with trivial office politics.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.