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
This silverback, Kavuyo, was being groomed by a female while six other gorillas were munching on leaves in the treetops.
—
Christina Liao, Vogue, 14 Jan. 2026
The discovery of language skills in great apes — various gorillas and chimps learned substantial vocabularies in sign language or symbols — and that of tool use across the animal kingdom have, over the years, chipped away at the idea that there is any single ingredient that makes humans unique.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 13 Jan. 2026
My first glimpse of a gorilla was brief, a large male on the path ahead, crouching, his fists pressed into the soil.
—Holden Frith, TheWeek, 9 Jan. 2026
The birth, which is the first of 2026, brings the Bageni family of gorillas to 59 members, which is the largest in the park.
—Kirsty Hatcher, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Christina Liao, Vogue, 14 Jan. 2026
The discovery of language skills in great apes — various gorillas and chimps learned substantial vocabularies in sign language or symbols — and that of tool use across the animal kingdom have, over the years, chipped away at the idea that there is any single ingredient that makes humans unique.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 13 Jan. 2026
My first glimpse of a gorilla was brief, a large male on the path ahead, crouching, his fists pressed into the soil.
—Holden Frith, TheWeek, 9 Jan. 2026
The birth, which is the first of 2026, brings the Bageni family of gorillas to 59 members, which is the largest in the park.
—Kirsty Hatcher, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorilla
Noun
-
In a season 3 teaser, Peter saves Suraj Sharma's Jay Batra from some thugs at a soccer stadium.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Foucauld had later left the army to become a Trappist monk and had established himself as a missionary in Tamanrasset, Algeria, in the middle of the Sahara Desert; he was killed there by local thugs in 1916.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Even the Dodgers, the cartoon villains of spending, kind of sort of have a limit.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
And Salieri seems more of hybrid creature, as though a villain out of Christopher Marlowe had suddenly been endowed with Shakespearean self-awareness.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The story revolves around Davis, the sort of gentleman bandit who thoughtfully returns his victims’ cell phones before making his departure and who, in the grand tradition of cinematic thieves, is looking to get out of the business after that last big score.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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Fleeing into the desert with her father, she is hunted by a merciless army and forced to trust a legendary bandit (Mackie) with secrets of his own.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Gaetano Milano, a sharpshooting young gangster who renounced the mafia and experienced a religious rebirth after gunning down one of New England’s most ruthless mob bosses, died early this week.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
-
In the film, the twins return from Chicago in the early 1930s, which inspired Carter to turn to photos of Chicago gangsters from the era.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Violence is widespread in the city proper, with large encampments where meth and other drugs are readily available and criminals reportedly exploit the city’s free bus system to carry out offenses.—
Michael Ruiz , Adriana James-Rodil,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Godwin is well known in the space, having assisted law enforcement nationwide leading to the removal of hundreds of criminals from the streets.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In the days after Kirk’s death, politicians, law enforcement, and many media outlets tried to parse the meaning of the assassin’s inscriptions—to find a motive or assign blame.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
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As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he is hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future which forever alters the fate of his three children, reads Netflix’s synopsis.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
All of the daring and courage of the Golden Age films about cowboys, fighters, pilots, and pirates is distilled into the score for the first Indiana Jones movie.—
Alex Galbraith,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
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Led by the energetic Danny, the show take viewers on adventures to find pirate treasure, pretend to be superheroes, and fly like an airplane.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The steel body, which was built by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, features aluminum for the hood, trunk panel, and doors, in deference to weight.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
16 Feb. 2026
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Stolz casually took off his hood and shook his fist in the air after crossing the finish line.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gorilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorilla. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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