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
Clouds is the first luxury retreat for visitors to this national park—a more ancient and biodiverse ecosystem than the Virunga Mountains, inhabited by Rwanda and Congo’s gorilla population.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 May 2026
During that scene, voted one of Britain’s top TV moments of all time, a young gorilla lies across his body while several babies try to remove his shoes.
—Danica Kirka, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
Ask Theo Epstein, who once escaped the Henry regime in a gorilla suit, only to return, win a second Series and then bolt for the Chicago Cubs.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Now, more than 20 years later, his story is taking a quieter but arguably more meaningful turn — from escape artist to potential patriarch of a new gorilla family.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 May 2026
During that scene, voted one of Britain’s top TV moments of all time, a young gorilla lies across his body while several babies try to remove his shoes.
—Danica Kirka, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
Ask Theo Epstein, who once escaped the Henry regime in a gorilla suit, only to return, win a second Series and then bolt for the Chicago Cubs.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Now, more than 20 years later, his story is taking a quieter but arguably more meaningful turn — from escape artist to potential patriarch of a new gorilla family.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorilla
Noun
-
The fact that this racist thug has been handed policing power by Netanyahu says more about the state of Israel’s democracy and political values—and in particular about the prime minister’s values—than many Israelis might like to admit.—
Avi Issacharoff,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2026
-
White thugs destroyed it in the 1921 Race Massacre.—
Jasmine Desiree,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
The iconic villain, portrayed by Robert Mitchum in 1962’s Cape Fear and by Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s 1991 version, is back on screen in the new Apple TV adaptation.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2026
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Dead-end conflict is where the hero and the villain, the good guys and the bad guys, essentially never have any opportunity for movement or reconciliation at the end of the story.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Re-blockade will now happen at bandit camps and ruins.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
And what gives her purpose is meeting Ruthye, who’s also endured tragedy, and wants to avenge her family’s death at the hands of the bandit Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
20 May 2026
Noun
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Despite rumors swirling since last week that the actor would not return for a third season, sources confirmed discussions are underway to find a way for Hardy (who plays gangster Harry Da Souza in the Paramount+ show) to come back.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
28 May 2026
-
In every revolution, there are gangsters.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
28 May 2026
Noun
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The bigger issue is that many systems still rely on information criminals may already have, such as birthdays, addresses and partial Social Security numbers.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
-
Iowa Republicans responded by branding Roberts a criminal and calling for an investigation of the district’s hiring practices.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Isn’t that what an assassin would do?—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
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Later, the team pieces together that the assassins were professionals who had been hired by someone with deep pockets.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 May 2026
Noun
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There’s a dedicated kitchen for cooking classes, a craft and activity room as well as a pirate ship playground outside.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
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However, the fact that the monster is dressed like a pirate suggests that the seagull’s presence is symbolic, invoking sailor superstitions around sea birds.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Ferrier fell onto the hood of the car and multiple eyewitnesses reported that Allen tried to accelerate and break in an attempt to get him off.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
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Under the hood, the agent is pulling text from merchant product descriptions, marketing pages and review snippets that were written to rank on Google, not to survive scrutiny from an AI making a purchase recommendation.—
Michael Quoc,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gorilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorilla. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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