monkey with

phrasal-verb
UK: /ˈmʌŋki wɪð/
US: /ˈmʌŋŋki wɪθ/

  1. To touch, handle, or tamper with something, often without skill or knowledge, potentially causing damage or malfunction.

    1. Don't monkey with the TV, you might break it.
    2. I told him not to monkey with the settings, and now the printer won't work.

  2. To interfere with something, often in a way that is annoying or disruptive.

    1. Please don't monkey with my files on the computer.
    2. The kids like to monkey with my tools when I am not looking, scattering them everywhere.

Synonyms

interfere with mess with fiddle with play with tamper with

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "monkey with" in English means: To touch, handle, or tamper with something, often without skill or knowledge, potentially causing damage or malfunction., To interfere with something, often in a way that is annoying or disruptive..

The phonetic transcription of "monkey with" is /ˈmʌŋki wɪð/ in British English and /ˈmʌŋŋki wɪθ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "monkey with": interfere with, mess with, fiddle with, play with, tamper with.

Example usage of "monkey with": "Don't monkey with the TV, you might break it.". More examples on the page.