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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 novelty vending machines mold souvenir sculptures — a train car, a gorilla, a bust of Abraham Lincoln — in under a minute, filling a two-sided mold with hot plastic, then hollowing it out with compressed air. — Juliet Bennett Rylah, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026 About half the participants never noticed the gorilla because their attention was focused on counting passes rather than everything else happening around them. — Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026 After a morning briefing, hikers spend up to one hour observing the gorillas in their natural habitat, according to Visit Rwanda. — Ashley Lynch july 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026 Bakari previously lived at another Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited zoo with a group of bachelor male gorillas before being gradually introduced to the troop at Animal Kingdom. — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 31 July 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
  • That a Christian man was responsible for the devastation in Oklahoma City certainly didn’t matter to the thugs who terrorized a Muslim woman there, nearly seven months pregnant, by attacking her home, breaking her windows, screaming religious slurs.
    — Reshma Memon Yaqub, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
  • On a cold night in November 2011, in a field outside Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, a gang of thugs stormed a Soviet scientific research institute, beat and humiliated the staff and burned the place to the ground.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of thug
Noun
  • There are no villains in Possible Love; there are only people who are aware of others, and people who are not.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The former Democratic speaker was the longtime villain, a mainstay in ads as Republicans linked Democratic candidates to her to paint them as radical and out of touch.
    — James A. Downs, The Washington Examiner, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • Goaded on by a governor, who handpicked the university president and staged a coup to overthrow one athletic director in order to hire Kiffin, the bayou bandits are proudly wearing their black hats.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Leonard, who made tens of millions in off-the-books, no-show endorsements, made out like a bandit with this settlement, especially since his $51 million contract for the coming season was not voided.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of bandit
Noun
  • Unfolding over eight episodes, this brash gangster romp is ludicrous enough to be entertaining in its own way; but the dialogue and plotting really are unforgivably bad.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Michelle Yeoh stars as a gifted doctor forced at gunpoint to operate on a gangster with a life-threatening condition.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of gangster
Noun
  • Most crimes across Mexico went unsolved, and authorities sometimes appeared to be colluding with criminals instead of fighting them.
    — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Keeping email, downloads and everyday web activity away from that machine reduces the opportunities criminals have to reach it.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • Across Greengrass’ three Bourne movies, the elite assassin turns against the clandestine institution that created him, determined to escape its grip and bring its covert operations to light.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Before Atlanta, the girls weren’t judged as heavily based on their reads or confessional assassin abilities.
    — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of assassin
Noun
  • Within hours, their yacht vanishes, Matt is abducted by a gang of ruthless pirates led by Langbore (Copley), and paradise becomes a trap.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Bloom played the dashing blacksmith Will Turner, who teams up with the eccentric pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) to save his forever love, Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) from a gang of raucous, rival pirates.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of pirate
Noun
  • This could include door hinges, hood latches, and parking brake cables.
    — John Paul, The Providence Journal, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Under the hood, the Intel Celeron N150 is a decent processor that's power-efficient, and the Google Titan C security chip keeps your machine safe from threats.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 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 16 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on gorilla

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gorilla

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