Word.ws English Dictionary

monkey see, monkey do

monkey see, monkey do phrase: a conventional explanation for mimicry, especially of a foolish action done with no consideration of the consequences.

Phrase

monkey see, monkey do

  1. A conventional explanation for mimicry, especially of a foolish action done with no consideration of the consequences.
    • Monkey see, monkey do / Don't ever make the first move, just let 'em come to you2003, Eminem, “Monkey See, Monkey Do”, in Straight from the Lab
    • Then why Hong Kong people stock toilet paper? Because monkey see monkey do. Hong Kong people stock toilet paper because people scared toilet paper come from China, tomorrow China no toilet paper, we all cannot go pang sai.2020 February 20, Chan Chun Sing, as quoted, “Full transcript of 25-minute leaked audio recording of Chan Chun Sing dialogue with SCCCI”, in Mothership.sg

monkey see, monkey do meaning in Arabic

monkey see, monkey do in Arabic

Translations
القرد يرى، القرد يفعل

Origin of monkey see, monkey do

Monkeys are known for imitating others.

Questions about monkey see, monkey do

What does monkey see, monkey do mean?
Monkey see, monkey do means a conventional explanation for mimicry, especially of a foolish action done with no consideration of the consequences.
What is monkey see, monkey do in Arabic?
Monkey see, monkey do in Arabic is القرد يرى، القرد يفعل. See Monkey see, monkey do meaning in Arabic.
What part of speech is monkey see, monkey do?
Monkey see, monkey do is a phrase.

Words near monkey see, monkey do in the dictionary

  1. monkey rails
  2. monkey rum
  3. monkey rums
  4. monkey run
  5. monkey runs
  6. monkey see, monkey do
  7. monkey show
  8. monkey shows
  9. monkey slug
  10. monkey slugs
  11. monkey spar

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: monkey see, monkey do (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “monkey see, monkey do.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/monkey_see%2C_monkey_do. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.