monk

1 of 2

noun (1)

: a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery
also : friar

monk

2 of 2

noun (2)

: monkey

Examples of monk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
He's seen more as a socialite tech guru who hangs out with people like New Age author Deepak Chopra, Bono and a Buddhist monk named Brother Spirit. Dara Kerr, NPR, 28 Feb. 2024 The writers crafted an arc in which his character, Stanford Blatch, moved to Japan and became a Shinto monk. Nick Romano, EW.com, 26 Feb. 2024 The festival features various mask dances and traditional Bhutanese folk dances performed by both monks as well as locals. Judy Koutsky, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 According to legend, monks would forgo solid food during Lent, surviving solely on beer. Don Tse, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 At the same time, though, monks also employed healing practices rooted in Buddhist rituals. Alessandro Poletto, The Conversation, 1 Mar. 2024 However, a number of them were painstakingly unrolled by a monk over several decades and found to contain philosophical texts written in Greek. Claudio Lavanga, NBC News, 9 Feb. 2024 Later that season, it was revealed that Stanford had become a Shinto monk. Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 19 Feb. 2024 The monastery provides a rare glimpse into the everyday lives of the monks, including a well worn basketball court. Jordan Riefe, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English munuc, from Late Latin monachus, from Late Greek monachos, from Greek, adjective, single, from monos single, alone

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of monk was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near monk

Cite this Entry

“Monk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monk. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

monk

noun
ˈməŋk
: a member of a religious community made up of men who agree to give up worldly life, remain poor and unmarried, and obey all laws of their community
monkish
ˈməŋ-kish
adjective

Biographical Definition

Monk

biographical name

Thelonious Sphere 1920–1982 American jazz musician
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!