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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gorilla
Brookfield Zoo has relocated its gorillas to prepare them for their new $66 million habitat opening this summer.
—
Carrie Shepherd, Axios, 31 Mar. 2025
Think of the tragic story of Harambe the gorilla, which challenged the premise of zoos and then became a distasteful meme.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 15 Feb. 2025
But with its major cities and burgeoning population, Texas is the big gorilla.
—John Burnett, NPR, 13 Jan. 2025
Roxie also helped another gorilla named Kwisha at 8 months old when her mother didn’t accept her, the zoo said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Carrie Shepherd, Axios, 31 Mar. 2025
Think of the tragic story of Harambe the gorilla, which challenged the premise of zoos and then became a distasteful meme.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 15 Feb. 2025
But with its major cities and burgeoning population, Texas is the big gorilla.
—John Burnett, NPR, 13 Jan. 2025
Roxie also helped another gorilla named Kwisha at 8 months old when her mother didn’t accept her, the zoo said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorilla
Noun
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Letterman may be the obvious precedent but Mulaney’s delivery is less snide than lightly panicked, as if some Netflix thugs have their hands on a switch off-camera, eager to cut to black.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2025
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The Depardieu shtick — his public persona as a crude, working-class thug — was on full display.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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With its ability to grow through asphalt and structural material, survive up to 20 years in total darkness and uproot the foundation of homes, Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) could be the villain in a horror movie.—
Martha Proctor,
Mercury News,
1 May 2025
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The Grizzlies were a gritty team by nature, and Brooks was indeed a villain.—
Kelly Iko,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Noun
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The caps proved popular with dockworkers, shipwrights and bandits, and, over time, the baker boy hat became synonymous with the newsboy cap (which was actually worn by boys working at newsstands).—
Rosa Rahimi,
CNN Money,
18 Apr. 2025
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Security cameras at the church captured images of the bandit, who appears to be an older white woman.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The infamous gangster, who had set up shop in Cicero, quickly became a prime suspect but initially was nowhere to be found.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2025
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Before long, top officials started calling him an MS-13 gangster and a terrorist, even though he’s never been convicted of a crime.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Mistaken for the world’s deadliest assassin, Ben becomes the perfect decoy for Eden.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2025
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Havoc brings the heat, throwing Tom Hardy's stony Walker into a hotbed of gangsters, dirty cops, corrupt elites, and wicked assassins.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Reckless sanctuary city policies create a sanctuary for one class — criminals.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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It is tasked with a broad range of actions — hunting fugitives, transporting federal prisoners and managing goods seized from criminals.—
Faith E. Pinho,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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When there was nothing left to rob, the pirates often resorted to killing.—
Lauren Vuong,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2025
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Pretty much the entire town goes full Jack Sparrow, dressing up in pirate costumes and waving wooden swords to commemorate and exorcise the trauma of a time when attacks by the formidable Hayreddin Barbarossa, a.k.a.—
Lee Marshall,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
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This is no ordinary family car, though: the Audi RS6 Avant handles like a sports car and packs a huge punch under the hood.—
Kristin Shaw,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
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Peeking under the hood Today, bandwidth isn’t a problem for FRDM+, and navigating the streaming service doesn’t feel much different from something like Netflix.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gorilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorilla. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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