gorilla

noun

go·​ril·​la gə-ˈri-lə 

1

: a very large typically black-colored anthropoid ape (Gorilla gorilla) of equatorial Africa that has a stocky body with broad shoulders and long arms and is less erect and has smaller ears than the chimpanzee

2

a

: an ugly or brutal man

b

: thug, goon

Synonyms

• thug
• villain
• bandit
• gangster
• assassin
• criminal
• pirate
• hood

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 on the Web

No one else in Hollywood could pull off staring down a crocodile the size of a football field or tag-teaming with a gigantic gorilla. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025

While Goodall focused on chimps, Dian Fossey studied gorillas and Birutė Galdikas studied orangutans. —Tricia Escobedo, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025

Across mammal species, from baboons and gorillas up to humans, females usually live longer than the males do. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 1 Oct. 2025

See photos of new baby after Cincinnati Zoo gorilla gives birth. —Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 23 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek Gorillai, plural, a tribe of hairy women mentioned in an account of a voyage around Africa

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing gorilla

• lowland gorilla
• mountain gorilla
• 800-pound gorilla

Rhymes for gorilla

• axilla
• flotilla
• guerilla
• guerrilla
• manilla
• mantilla
• maxilla
• mesilla
• papilla
• priscilla
• scintilla
• sensilla

Kids Definition

gorilla

noun

go·​ril·​la gə-ˈril-ə 

: a typically black ape of equatorial Africa that is much larger but stands less erect than the related chimpanzee

Etymology

derived from Greek Gorillai, a name used by ancient explorers for what they thought was a tribe of hairy women in Africa