Illustration of macaque
: any of a genus (Macaca) of chiefly Asian monkeys typically having a sturdy build and including some short-tailed or tailless forms
especially
: rhesus monkey
Examples of macaque in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Her $60 million contract with the NIH included studying the effects of the vaccines for the deadly disease on macaques, a type of primate.
—
Meredith Kile, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025
The rhesus macaques, which weigh six to seven pounds, are often used for experiments.
—Hank Sanders, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2025
The macaques were let loose on Monkey Island, and soon swam away, forming troops with other monkeys along the river.
—Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 9 Nov. 2024
The monkeys stop to drink the water in the footage, and then more macaques appear – including a larger monkey and another carrying a baby.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for macaque
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Meredith Kile, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025
The rhesus macaques, which weigh six to seven pounds, are often used for experiments.
—Hank Sanders, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2025
The macaques were let loose on Monkey Island, and soon swam away, forming troops with other monkeys along the river.
—Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 9 Nov. 2024
The monkeys stop to drink the water in the footage, and then more macaques appear – including a larger monkey and another carrying a baby.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for macaque
Cite this Entry
“Macaque.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/macaque. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
: any of various monkeys mostly from Asia that includes some with either short or no tails
especially
: rhesus monkey
Etymology
French, from Portuguese macaco, from makaku, plural of kaku, name for an African monkey in one or more Bantu languages of Gabon and Congo
Medical Definition
: any of numerous short-tailed Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca and related genera chiefly of southern Asia
especially
: rhesus monkey
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