: a very large typically black-colored great 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
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
As Sundance became a global icon, part of its identity stemmed from wedging this gorilla of a festival into the birdcage of a tiny resort town.—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2026 Before us, in a curtain of matte black against the vibrant green, a beautiful, enormous silverback lays flopped on his back surrounded by eight gorillas of all ages wrestling around him.—Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026 While gorilla trekking is undoubtedly the key attraction here, Gorilla Forest Lodge also offers other outdoor activities like birding (over 350 species) and waterfall hikes, along with cultural immersions with the Batwa and Bakiga communities.—Christina Liao, Vogue, 14 Jan. 2026 The discovery of language skills in great apes — various gorillas and chimps learned substantial vocabularies in sign language or symbols — and that of tool use across the animal kingdom have, over the years, chipped away at the idea that there is any single ingredient that makes humans unique.—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 13 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Greek Gorillai, plural, a tribe of hairy women mentioned in an account of a voyage around Africa