monkey patch
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A patch which alters the behaviour of a program by forcibly overriding aspects of the original code at runtime.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “monkey patch” mean?
A patch which alters the behaviour of a program by forcibly overriding aspects of the original code at runtime.
Is “monkey patch” formal or informal?
monkey patch is generally slang.