gorilla

noun

gə-ˈri-lə How to pronounce gorilla (audio)
Definition of gorillanext
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

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.
Recent Examples of gorilla The Disney Parks Blog announced his arrival less than a year after the passing of Gino, the beloved 44-year-old gorilla who led the troop since the park's opening in 1998. — Eve Chen, USA Today, 30 July 2026 The age restriction for chimpanzee tracking is 12 years (gorillas, 15 years); childcare can be arranged if needed. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 July 2026 Those super-smart chimps, gorillas, and orangutans eventually evolved and rebelled against their human masters. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 27 July 2026 Chimpanzees and gorillas both live in groups where nearly all of the adults are female. — ArsTechnica, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorilla
  1. thug
  2. villain
  3. bandit
  4. gangster
  5. criminal
  6. assassin
  7. pirate
  8. hood
Noun
  • The eponymous former assassin is drawn back into the game after some thugs (led by Alfie Allen) kill his dog and royally piss him off.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Tae-ha’s mom left him after Sang-gil, who was also a boxer prior to becoming a thug, cheated in a match.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of thug
Noun
  • Furious drops the ball a bit in the interactions with Emma and Jay Easton, turning them into one-dimensional caricatures instead of complex villains, but honestly, this show isn’t really about them.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Saoirse Ronan is ready to step into the dark side and is doubling down on wanting to play a villain in the James Bond universe.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • The Brigands of Rattlecreek follows a sheriff and a doctor who seek revenge against a group of bandits who use the cover of a torrential thunderstorm to rob and terrorize the occupants of a small town.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Instead of splitting traffic 50/50 until an end date, AI shifts traffic toward the better performing version while the test is still live, an approach often called a multi-armed bandit.
    — Karan Sharma, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of bandit
Noun
  • Karp was also involved in the sale last week of a $21 million lot on Palm Island where a mansion owned by gangster Al Capone once stood.
    — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The bodies start piling up – and business booms – but the growing enterprise puts the trio in the crosshairs of the powerful gangsters and underworld figures in the lawless border town of Saribgunj.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of gangster
Noun
  • Boxing is fun especially when the boxer in question is beating up criminals in East London.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Working together to track these flows would reduce the chance that international criminals can extend their reach beyond any single jurisdiction.
    — Alvin Camba, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • The would-be assassin was arrested by police and led investigators to two members of a Russian mob network who had enlisted him on behalf of Iran.
    — Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Bannerman centers on the eponymous Paul Bannerman, a lethal covert operative who convinces a group of the world’s most deadly assassins to quit the spy game for a chance to lead normal lives in the suburbs of Connecticut.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of assassin
Noun
  • Ninety-five percent of them carried advertising for unregulated gambling, according to Gaming Compliance International, which monitored pirate feeds across the tournament.
    — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • But don’t tell that to 65-year-old Phillip Schutt, a longtime Buffett fan who has spent years transforming his home into a tropical paradise, complete with surfboards, a handmade lobster trap and even a pirate skeleton taking refuge in a trash can.
    — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of pirate
Noun
  • In surveillance video provided by police, two young men wearing hoodies, with their hoods up, and surgical-style face masks, are seen quickly ambling down the sidewalk.
    — Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Under the hood, the component loadout is budget-focused but still capable, with a cost-effective Intel Core 3 processor more than enough to handle schoolwork.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of hood

Browse Nearby Words

gorgons
gorilla
gorillas
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gorilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorilla. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on gorilla

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gorilla

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