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

• bully
• gangbanger
• gangsta
• gangster
• goon
• hood
• hoodlum
• hooligan
• mobster
• mug
• plug-ugly
• punk
• roughneck
• rowdy
• ruffian
• thug
• tough
• toughie
• toughy
• yob [British]
• yobbo [British]

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

Culture is less well studied in gorillas than in other great apes. —Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 10 June 2025

The idea for the fight was born out of the viral 100 men vs. one gorilla online debate. —Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 29 May 2025

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

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