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Definition of gorilla
From the M-W Editors
Examples of gorilla in a Sentence
She hired some gorilla as her bodyguard.
the loan shark sent a couple of gorillas to “convince” him to pay up
Recent Examples of gorilla from the Web
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Of course, even with the adoring crowds, there'll still be an 800 pound gorilla in the room called ...
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The little male western lowland gorilla was born to Kira, the Zoo’s 17-year-old female and 32-year old Motuba.
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On Tuesday, Zola the gorilla got down with his bad self during an enrichment session at the Dallas Zoo.
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A grueling series of movements imitating the bear, crab, gorilla, spider, and frog.
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The lady gorilla, larger of the two, tries to open the car door, and seems to be considering a dive through the window.
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Meanwhile, after months of backlash over the zoo's fatal shooting of Harambe, a gorilla who became a pop culture phenomenon in death, Fiona is the center of attention.
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The zoo’s dangerous-animal response team concluded the life of a 3-year-old boy who fell into the gorilla enclosure last May 28 was in danger and killed 17-year-old Harambe (huh-RAHM’-bay).
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When G and I started dating, my TV was a 900-pound gorilla with terrible speakers and poor picture quality.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gorilla'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of gorilla
New Latin, from Greek Gorillai, plural, a tribe of hairy women mentioned in an account of a voyage around Africa
Financial Definition of GORILLA
gorilla
What It Is
A gorilla is a company that controls most of the market for a product or service.
How It Works
For example, in the 1990s, Microsoft was a gorilla in the market for operating systems. Sure, there were competitors, but they were very small, had tiny market shares, and avoided taking Microsoft on directly. Microsoft had billions to invest in marketing and innovation, and could easily undercut, out-distribute, and outsell these tiny competitors. As the saying goes, an 800-pound gorilla does whatever it wants.
Why It Matters
A gorilla's huge size means that competitors must carefully consider the gorilla's potential reactions to certain business decisions. Many gorillas have a shot at monopolizing the market. However, federal antitrust laws, most notably the Sherman Act, make collusive activity and monopolistic behavior illegal in the United States. There is, however, still an incentive to compete with a gorilla. After all, an undetected price cut (or increase in production) will attract customers who are buying from the gorilla and customers who are not buying the product at all. Price adjustments may be subtle, including better credit terms, faster delivery or related free services.
Gorillas are most effective when the demand for the gorilla's product is not very affected by price. This is why gorillas are more effective in the short term; over the long term, prices often become elastic as consumers find cheaper substitutes for the product.
GORILLA Defined for English Language Learners
gorilla
playDefinition of gorilla for English Language Learners
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: a type of very large ape that has black fur and that comes from Africa
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: a large, strong, and usually ugly or frightening man
GORILLA Defined for Kids
gorilla
playDefinition of gorilla for Students
: a very large ape of the forests of central Africa that lives mostly on the ground
History for gorilla
In the sixth century b.c. the navigator Hanno, from the city of Carthage, made a trip around the west coast of Africa. An account of his journey disappeared, though a Greek translation survives. Near the furthest point on their voyage Hanno and his men came upon an island “full of wild people, the greater part of whom were females, hairy on their bodies, whom our interpreters called Gorillas.” When the great ape we know as the gorilla was first described by scientists in the 1800s, it was given the Latin name Gorilla gorilla in recollection of Hanno's description—though exactly what Hanno saw in Africa we will never know.
Learn More about gorilla
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See words that rhyme with gorilla Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for gorilla Spanish Central: Translation of gorilla Nglish: Translation of gorilla for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of gorilla for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gorilla
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