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
In Africa, infection has been documented through the handling of infected fruit bats, monkeys, chimpanzees, gorillas, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead in the rainforest.
—
Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 2 June 2026
The day after the birth, Olympia was reunited with her troop and, hours later, her baby was introduced to the other gorillas.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026
Olympia, a gorilla housed at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, in her habitat prior to her pregnancy.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 27 May 2026
Two years ago, a baby gorilla named Jameela was born at the Fort Worth Zoo via emergency cesarean section.
—Madison Sawyer, CBS News, 21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 2 June 2026
The day after the birth, Olympia was reunited with her troop and, hours later, her baby was introduced to the other gorillas.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026
Olympia, a gorilla housed at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, in her habitat prior to her pregnancy.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 27 May 2026
Two years ago, a baby gorilla named Jameela was born at the Fort Worth Zoo via emergency cesarean section.
—Madison Sawyer, CBS News, 21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorilla
Noun
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Ditto Hugh Jackman’s unerring performance — perhaps his finest dramatic work yet — as a savage, unfeeling thug and unrepentant murderer and thief.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
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The actions of these thugs, who should be imprisoned for a long while, is the cause of denying real Knicks fans the chance to watch the game communally.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
10 June 2026
Noun
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Her bone-chilling performance earned her the MTV Movie Award for best villain, beating out the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis, Mike Myers, Willem Dafoe and Colin Farrell in her category.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
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This was my villain origin story.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Noun
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The tree is said to have sheltered Robin Hood, the legendary 13th-century bandit who stole from the rich and gave to the poor and took refuge in the forest when being pursued by the sheriff of Nottingham.—
Brian Melley,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
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The tree is said to have sheltered Robin Hood, the legendary 13th-century bandit who stole from the rich and gave to the poor and took refuge in the forest when being pursued by the sheriff of Nottingham.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
Noun
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Neither immigrant family should be linked to violent gangsters, of course.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
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By telling a relatively straightforward story that blends real people from the era of the Gotti Mafia family with imagined characters, Martin Scorsese's dramedy biopic about a kid who falls in love with the gangster life is as even-keeled as anything the director has made.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
Noun
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This makes your accounts much harder to break into, even if a criminal gets control of your phone number.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
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And historically, denaturalization has been reserved for the most egregious offenders, such as human rights abusers and violent criminals.—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Noun
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The report’s key finding was that an odd, angry, 24-year-old assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, had acted alone, for reasons nobody could quite figure out.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
20 June 2026
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Unfortunately, Daemon’s hired assassins killed Aegon’s young son Jaehaerys instead so any real possibility for a family reconciliation was lost.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Noun
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There's even some sympathy for the vengeful pirate character.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
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Tyland may have gotten Triarchy pirate Admiral Sharako Lohar on Team Green’s side, but at his core this man is a coward.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
Noun
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At one point, what appeared to be a bullet hole was seen in the hood of a Chicago police squad car.—
Asal Rezaei,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
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Most changes happen under the hood.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gorilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorilla. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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