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
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Recent Examples of gorilla
The Federal Reserve has emerged as the 800-pound gorilla in the legal fight over President Trump’s firings of agency leaders traditionally independent from the White House.
—
Ella Lee, The Hill, 28 May 2025
Photo : Courtesy of Doli Lodge Canoe River Track Gorillas in the Congo Basin
The mountain gorillas of Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, Africa’s gorilla-tracking epicenter, see almost 100 tourists per day trampling around their turf.
—Chris Schalkx, Robb Report, 15 May 2025
Native Eye Travel’s gorilla trekking tour in Dzanga Sangha Reserve starts at Yaounde in Cameroon to avoid any routes that run through potentially problematic areas in the Central African Republic.
—Emese MacZko, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Fifty-one years ago, after trying out Zorro, Superman and gorilla costumes, Angus Young took a suggestion from his sister, borrowed her son’s school uniform and wore it onstage.
—Steve Knopper, Billboard, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Ella Lee, The Hill, 28 May 2025
Photo : Courtesy of Doli Lodge Canoe River Track Gorillas in the Congo Basin
The mountain gorillas of Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, Africa’s gorilla-tracking epicenter, see almost 100 tourists per day trampling around their turf.
—Chris Schalkx, Robb Report, 15 May 2025
Native Eye Travel’s gorilla trekking tour in Dzanga Sangha Reserve starts at Yaounde in Cameroon to avoid any routes that run through potentially problematic areas in the Central African Republic.
—Emese MacZko, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Fifty-one years ago, after trying out Zorro, Superman and gorilla costumes, Angus Young took a suggestion from his sister, borrowed her son’s school uniform and wore it onstage.
—Steve Knopper, Billboard, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorilla
Noun
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Ultra Man is sort of Lex's thug and is pretty powerful.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
19 June 2025
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This will reveal paid fake thugs posing as protesters becoming violent.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2025
Noun
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Two of the game’s most brilliant villains have matured into eloquent eulogists.—
Simon Vozick-Levinson,
Rolling Stone,
30 June 2025
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For an industry which has long been treated by the television and film industries as a dirty, dangerous business run by unethical, cartoon-ish villains like J.R. Ewing, such a balanced portrayal is a welcome change, indeed.—
David Blackmon,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
Noun
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To make matters even worse, snow pirates, survivalists, bandits, the colonial military force NEVEC, and other factions are fighting over land and resources.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
27 June 2025
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But the project is also right at home for Laika, as it’s set in a secret forest just outside of Laika’s home in Portland and follows a girl whose baby brother is taken into the forest, only to discover an exotic world of talking animals and bandits.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
25 June 2025
Noun
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Alfredo’s lifelong business partner and small-time gangster Annibale (Marco Giallini) even sees it as his chance to ask Lorella on a date.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
8 July 2025
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Where to watch: Tubi 'Sinners' Ryan Coogler's sinfully good period musical gangster vampire horror flick is one of the best movies of the year, period.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
5 July 2025
Noun
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In the twilight of her career, Parker still showed flashes of the once baby-haired assassin who shook up the WNBA.—
Anthony De Leon,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
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The Day of the Jackal follows a professional British assassin called the Jackal (Eddie Redmayne), known only for his ruthless and mysterious methods, and Bianca Pullman (Lashana Lynch), an MI6 agent intent on hunting him down.—
Ryan Fleming,
Deadline,
19 June 2025
Noun
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Recently, however, the technology has been used by criminals for purposes of sextortion.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
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But with this bill, Republicans are laying the groundwork to gut safeguards that stopped criminals from getting these deadly weapons.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 July 2025
Noun
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However, the very same ruling condemned Anthropic for its alternative sourcing method: using pirate websites.—
Douglas B. Laney,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
-
To make matters even worse, snow pirates, survivalists, bandits, the colonial military force NEVEC, and other factions are fighting over land and resources.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
27 June 2025
Noun
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Additional violations included grease accumulation on the exhaust hood, behind cooking equipment and near the water heater.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado,
Sacbee.com,
3 July 2025
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Madeline warns Riri to destroy the hood before kicking them out.—
Stacia Brown,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gorilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorilla. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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