as in thugs
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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Recent Examples of gorillas
While our morning spent with the gorillas alone was nothing short of extraordinary, there is more to savor back at Bisate Reserve.
—
Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
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
Since the gorillas move across a wide area, the trek is unpredictable in length and terrain.
—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
Pictures released by the park’s press service showed the 22-year-old Mafuko holding the two baby gorillas, sitting on the ground and partly obscured by branches with green leaves.
—Reuters, NBC news, 8 Jan. 2026
Communal meals of fresh regional ingredients and flavors encourage conversation and stories about silverbacks who sat close and curious baby gorillas who tumbled.
—Natalie Preddie, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2025
Kabarebe said that since 2018 the militias had staged dozens of attacks in the parks where the gorillas live.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
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
Since the gorillas move across a wide area, the trek is unpredictable in length and terrain.
—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
Pictures released by the park’s press service showed the 22-year-old Mafuko holding the two baby gorillas, sitting on the ground and partly obscured by branches with green leaves.
—Reuters, NBC news, 8 Jan. 2026
Communal meals of fresh regional ingredients and flavors encourage conversation and stories about silverbacks who sat close and curious baby gorillas who tumbled.
—Natalie Preddie, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2025
Kabarebe said that since 2018 the militias had staged dozens of attacks in the parks where the gorillas live.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorillas
Noun
-
Minnesotans, not the armed thugs of ICE and the Border Patrol, are brave.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Actively inserting yourself into and attempting to stymie federal law enforcement or barging into a church, as some of these thugs did in Minneapolis, is hindering law enforcement and trespassing, respectively.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Immigration and Integration Minister Rasmus Stoklund said 315 foreign criminals from countries outside the European Union had received sentences of more than a year over the last five years but were not expelled.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Top police brass nationwide rarely criticize their federal partners, relying on collaboration to investigate gangs, extremist groups and other major criminals — while also counting on millions in funding from Washington each year.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Picking winners and losers, heroes and villains, pathways to success and failure, generates excitement for an event and manufactures a sense of urgency for maximal viewing pleasure.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
-
As the country moves toward the 2026 midterms, the temptation will be to treat our current racial, political, and economic crisis as a sharp break from the past; to search for singular villains; and to imagine that a return to normalcy is just one election away.—
Heather Ann Thompson,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There may have been some male suitors but never any who were gangsters.—
Nathan Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
He was freed on supervised release in May 2020, but quickly broke that pledge, chowing down with his fellow Colombo gangsters at the legendary Brennan and Carr restaurant that November to discuss the crime family’s future, and their labor union shakedown scheme.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The authentic Denver and Rio Grande train that has operated at Knott’s since 1952 boasts the highest crime rate in all of Orange County with the notorious Ghost Town bandits robbing every departure from the Calico Square depot.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Whiskey Row celebrates Prescott's Old West history, with saloons once occupied by outlaws and bandits.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Then there’s the scourge known as porch pirates.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Under the chandelier lights, actors dressed as Joan of Arc, pirates, and mythical beasts waltz over a celestial floor and crack jokes between takes.—
Madeline Hirsch,
InStyle,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Based on the novel by Stephen King, The Running Man is a dystopian sci-fi movie about a reality TV show where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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In the first season of action thriller A Shop For Killers, Kim Hye-jun starred as Jeong Ji-an, a college student who must fight off a bevy of highly skilled assassins while trying to get to the bottom of her uncle’s death.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Castillo said the solution requires leadership, coordination and a return to focused enforcement that prioritizes violent criminal offenders over broad street operations that escalate confrontation.—
Stepheny Price , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
In fact, reconciliation was often ill-advised, especially if offenders had not expressed remorse or commitment to any type of meaningful change.—
Richard Balkin,
The Conversation,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gorillas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorillas. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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