as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the loan shark sent a couple of gorillas to "convince" him to pay up
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gorilla
Congrats are in order for Fatou, who is celebrating her 69th birthday and holding onto her title as the oldest gorilla in human care in the world.
—
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
Fatou has lost her teeth, experiences arthritis and hearing loss and generally avoids interaction with other gorillas.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2026
Her daily routine is managed with attention to her comfort and well-being, reflecting the close bond between the gorilla and the team that looks after her.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
That’s exactly how the world’s oldest gorilla celebrated her big day, and the story behind her remarkable life is one the whole family can marvel at together.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
Fatou has lost her teeth, experiences arthritis and hearing loss and generally avoids interaction with other gorillas.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2026
Her daily routine is managed with attention to her comfort and well-being, reflecting the close bond between the gorilla and the team that looks after her.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
That’s exactly how the world’s oldest gorilla celebrated her big day, and the story behind her remarkable life is one the whole family can marvel at together.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorilla
Noun
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He’s beaten by thugs with a crowbar for an unfortunate outburst, exploited by neighbors in the council estate and arrested, all because people don’t understand Tourette syndrome.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
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Mayor vows to catch 'thugs who did this' Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards promised that law enforcement will catch the people responsible for the violence at the mall.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The horror film, which is directed by James Watkins, will track the origins of the shape-shifting villain, played by Tom Rhys Harries.—
Giana Levy,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
-
But what makes this situation so hard is that there’s no obvious villain and no dramatic fallout (which, in some ways, would almost be easier to deal with).—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Williams hadn’t qualified but jumped in as a bandit – a practice that is prohibited now but happened more regularly back then (although it was frowned upon).—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
19 Apr. 2026
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An unusual theft at a Pennsylvania Wawa has police going bananas for a pair of potassium bandits.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That’s before Morgan steals a necklace from a chintzy gift shop run by a Turkish gangster named Yusuf, who proceeds to kidnap the pair, intimidate them at gunpoint, and threaten their family, forcing them to perform an array of odd jobs to make up for the petty theft.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2026
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Longtime collaborators Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro reunited for this 2019 gangster epic, about the real-life hitman Frank Sheeran and his experiences working for the Mafia.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The scheme is designed to identify suspected criminals, combat identity fraud, and to police the EU's limit on 90-day stays within a 180-day period, according to the European Commission.—
Emma Clarke,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Apr. 2026
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Rex Heuermann, the man known as the Gilgo Beach killer, admitted to killing eight women over a span of decades, and the FBI is now looking into what motivated the 62-year-old to carry out his crimes to help capture other criminals in the future.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Their efforts lead them in the season’s last two episodes to Paris, where Frank was planning to celebrate his 80th birthday with his children — only for him to be gunned down in a hotel lobby by an assassin who had been sent to kill Teddy for a deal gone wrong.—
Max Gao,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
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Neither of these two is necessarily a lip-sync assassin.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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And some influencers say the new clip from Supergirl was good — Kara on a space-bus full of aliens who get attacked by pirates, with a Guardians of the Galaxy vibe.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Apr. 2026
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And to know that their daughter was brutally killed by pirates?—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Cops have released a trove of footage from the massive car meetup that created havoc in a quiet Queens neighborhood — and are asking the public’s help identifying the people involved, including a trio who jumped on the hood of a responding police car.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
20 Apr. 2026
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There is, however, a nice hood vent and a lovely skylight.—
Katie McDonough,
Curbed,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gorilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorilla. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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