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 Ape Action Africa credited supporters whose donations and messages helped fund and sustain the gorilla's care throughout his recovery. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026 The 800 lb gorilla of television comedy for fifty years, he was beloved by everyone, and has left not a mark but a footprint. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 19 June 2026 There are few animals as fascinating and entertaining to watch as gorillas. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026 Sprawled across 163 acres of Rock Creek Park, the zoo is home to 2,700 animals such as giant pandas, elephants, alpacas, pythons, cheetahs, gorillas, and more. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 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
  • Threatening to limit mail-in voting, adding ridiculous ID requirements, or staging thugs at polling places are other possible ways to convince you to stay home.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 July 2026
  • To be sure, the thugs of Hamas and Hezbollah committed a horrific massacre of young Jewish civilians enjoying a music festival on October 7, 2023.
    — DP Opinion, Denver Post, 6 July 2026
Definition of thug
Noun
  • The Modi government has portrayed the demonstrators as villains.
    — Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 20 July 2026
  • In the comic, twin brothers Sean and Chris learn their bodies have been enhanced by nanotechnology, thrusting them into a fight against the villain Deadalus within a futuristic world where nature and technology exist side by side.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 July 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • People in northwest Nigeria are caught between regular attacks by bandit groups who specialize in kidnapping for ransom and Islamist militants who have been expanding their territory.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
  • Instead, most are romantic stories about young lovers separated by fate, and the rest are swashbuckling adventures full of bandits and pirates.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026
Definition of bandit
Noun
  • Ritchson plays a tough guy who falls for a local gangster’s girl.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 21 July 2026
  • Remember all those fake memoirs from the early 2000s, by all those writers pretending to be addicts and gangsters and Holocaust survivors?
    — James Parker, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Definition of gangster
Noun
  • California has some of the nation’s toughest gun laws, but state lawmakers are concerned that a new technology is allowing criminals to obtain firearms by building them from scratch.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
  • This lengthy process was typical of ICE’s previous procedures to track down criminals, Sandweg said, which may have shifted under the demands of this administration’s daily arrest goals.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • By the time Cameron came up with the idea for The Terminator — about a robot assassin sent back in time to kill the mother of humanity’s unborn savior — Wisher was growing more interested in screenwriting.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2026
  • Their characters — a notorious assassin and a lawyer — race across Europe, balancing brutal fights and a messy, decades-long friendship.
    — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of assassin
Noun
  • Sources tell Deadline that Sony Pictures is in negotiations to land the project, with Scott directing and Jackman on board to play the pirate Long John Silver.
    — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 22 July 2026
  • This uprising of students at the Athens Polytechnic University and their famous pirate-radio broadcasts are commonly understood to be the beginning of the end of the junta.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
Definition of pirate
Noun
  • Prices will start at 90 euros for a hood and other accessories in the capsule and go up to 450 euros for the charcoal wool coat.
    — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 20 July 2026
  • What’s concerning is that, from a team perspective, nothing under the hood suggests the poor results are flukey.
    — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 20 July 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 23 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on gorilla

Nglish: Translation of gorilla for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gorilla

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