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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gorilla
The system rendered a continuous 60-second scene of a woman cooking as a gorilla entered the kitchen and hugged her.
—
Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
The baby chimpanzee joins a baby penguin named Atticus born in April 2025, a baby gorilla named Motema born in August 2024, and a chimpanzee named Tai born in May 2023.
—Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 11 July 2025
At the time of the incident, six other gorillas were in the exhibit, and zookeepers used a hose to keep them at bay.
—Mark Gray, People.com, 27 June 2025
And a viral question about man versus gorilla has sparked lighthearted debate.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
The baby chimpanzee joins a baby penguin named Atticus born in April 2025, a baby gorilla named Motema born in August 2024, and a chimpanzee named Tai born in May 2023.
—Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 11 July 2025
At the time of the incident, six other gorillas were in the exhibit, and zookeepers used a hose to keep them at bay.
—Mark Gray, People.com, 27 June 2025
And a viral question about man versus gorilla has sparked lighthearted debate.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorilla
Noun
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Peace isn’t easy to come by, though the motorcycle thugs who swing by to bully the locals and squeeze money out of the businesses don’t offer much resistance.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
15 Aug. 2025
-
As the ship prepared to leave port, the G men arrived, handcuffed the thug and dragged him away.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Temuera Morrison plays a terrific villain as the murderous King Kahekili.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Living with the aftermath Smollett in Episode 9 Courtesy of Apple TV+ Lehane never set out to create a simple morality tale with clear heroes and villains.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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An anonymous tipster called police to say the bandits were trying to sell their loot less than a mile away, and gave the cops Hussein’s Instagram handle, according to court filings.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
12 Aug. 2025
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Industrialists like Rockefeller and Carnegie weren’t worried about horseback bandits; their focus was on land rights, freight monopolies and who controlled the rails.—
Jodi Daniels,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The book was about how his father chose conventional family values over the life of a gangster.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
2 Aug. 2025
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That audio clip has been shared some 60,000 times on TikTok, often by Venezuelans ridiculing the notion that everybody from their country is a gangster.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
Bloodsport, being an assassin who has a change of heart and becomes a hero, while also having a deep rat phobia, was fantastic.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
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The deal paves the way for new installments for Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne, a CIA assassin suffering from amnesia.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The Saturday Night Live alum, 31, and Beverly Hills Cop actor, 64, star in the action-comedy The Pickup as Travis and Russell, two security guards whose vehicle is hijacked by Zoe (Keke Palmer), a criminal on a mission to avenge her dad by robbing a casino.—
Rebecca Aizin,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Neighborhoods where residents get out and meet each other and know their law enforcement are safer and discourage criminals — that’s the thinking behind the National Night Out campaign.—
Heather McRea,
Oc Register,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Learn all about the many groups, from Native Americans to Spanish pirates to English settlers to wealthy cotton planters to enslaved people, who have lived on the island and influenced its development at the Edisto Island Museum.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
6 Aug. 2025
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John Cleese shows up as a pirate and tries to make a call from a payphone on the ship, while his parrot, who is in love with him, gripes that Cleese is neglecting her and should take her to dinner with all his doubloons.—
Sophie Brickman,
The Atlantic,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Nashville police said in a release 31-year-old Ashley Sells was the driver of a Dodge Charger that video evidence showed was performing doughnuts while Shannon Kilgore was laying on the hood.—
Ruben Montoya,
Nashville Tennessean,
6 Aug. 2025
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The top included a hood that draped down into a high neckline, while the floor-length skirt featured a sculptural roll of padding around the waistband, creating a flared look at her hips.—
Catherine Santino,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gorilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorilla. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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