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
Slip on an eye mask and feel your way through a wall of surprise elements like robber gorilla hands, fuzzy fabric, and sneakers, shutting off one sense and heightening another.
—
Liz Regalia, Parents, 3 Mar. 2026
Another juvenile worth seeing is the 2-year-old gorilla named Bruno.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Feb. 2026
Efforts to find a bouba-kiki effect in great apes like chimpanzees and gorillas — animals closely related to humans — have come up empty.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 19 Feb. 2026
Wade joins as a bull who plays roarball for the Shadows, as does Kevin Love as a gorilla and A’ja Wilson as an alligator.
—Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Liz Regalia, Parents, 3 Mar. 2026
Another juvenile worth seeing is the 2-year-old gorilla named Bruno.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Feb. 2026
Efforts to find a bouba-kiki effect in great apes like chimpanzees and gorillas — animals closely related to humans — have come up empty.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 19 Feb. 2026
Wade joins as a bull who plays roarball for the Shadows, as does Kevin Love as a gorilla and A’ja Wilson as an alligator.
—Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorilla
Noun
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The new Homeland Security person needs to unmask the thugs causing harm to families and innocent children.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2026
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The centerpiece is, of course, the melee/dance-off between the ensemble in white tutus and the violent thugs, toe blade and all.—
Lé Baltar,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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There are no villains—or maybe life, or growing up, or getting older, is the villain.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
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His grandiose persona rubbed many the wrong way early on, earning him a villain label.—
Pamela Chelin,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Set against mountainous landscapes and rural lakes, the story follows a wandering swordsman who is falsely accused of stealing a shipment of gold and must unravel a web of intrigue involving bandits, palace guards and corrupt officials while attempting to clear his name.—
Lin Ying-Hsuan,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
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Alongside attacks by bandits, Nigeria is also plagued by an insurgency fought by the Boko Haram extremist group and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Joe Cole, late of Peaky Blinders, plays Ethan, a former petty teen gangster from Las Vegas who has decamped to Los Angeles and made an honest man of himself.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
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Out March 27 on Hulu, the film, directed by BenDavid Grabinski, follows mobster Nick (Vaughn), who travels back in time so that Future Nick and Present Nick can save fellow gangster buddy Mike (James Marsden) from being murdered.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These laws make anyone who’s even a little gender nonconforming an object of suspicion, a potential criminal.—
Darren Rosenblum,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
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Many people copy cryptocurrency wallet addresses before sending digital currency, and those addresses can be valuable to criminals.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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On paper, Gosling’s turn as a CIA operative named Six who is entrusted with protecting a tween girl from an unhinged assassin should be, if not amazing, at least watchable.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
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McDonagh’s skill at crisp dialogue and character in his movies is evident in the opening scene for the teaser trailer where Chris boasts of his body count as an assassin worldwide, which has Lee warning against talk of killing people on an airplane.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Themed weeks include Harry Potter, Star Wars and pirates.—
Jessie Dax-Setkus,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
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Doorbell cameras catch porch pirates.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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What appeared to be footage from a security camera showed three figures in black wearing hoods carrying a canister toward one of the ambulances before flames erupted around the vehicle.—
KRUTIKA PATHI,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
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What appeared to be footage from a security camera showed three figures in black wearing hoods carrying a canister toward one of the ambulance before flames erupted around the vehicle.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gorilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorilla. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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