Thesaurus results for GORILLAS

gorillas

noun

plural of gorilla

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

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 gorillas 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 Daneault said Bakari will play a critical role in the AZA's Species Survival Plan for gorillas. — Eve Chen, USA Today, 30 July 2026 The age restriction for chimpanzee tracking is 12 years (gorillas, 15 years); childcare can be arranged if needed. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 July 2026 Those super-smart chimps, gorillas, and orangutans eventually evolved and rebelled against their human masters. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 27 July 2026 The hike was difficult—about 90 minutes climbing through dense vegetation—but seeing gorillas in their natural environment made every step worthwhile. — Doug Gollan, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 In this new study, a team from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom analyzed recordings from four orangutans, two gorillas, four chimpanzees, three bonobos, two gorillas, and four humans. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 25 June 2026 Chimpanzees and gorillas both live in groups where nearly all of the adults are female. — ArsTechnica, 25 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorillas

Noun

Shortly after his big win, he’s attacked by two thugs in a parking garage.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 July 2026
The night of the title fight, Duke is attacked by two thugs who smash his hand with a hammer and, in the ensuing chaos, kill somebody close to him.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026

Definition of thugs

Noun

North Carolina politician says Democrats are coddling criminals Records also list a September 2025 simple-assault charge and a March 2025 charge of assault on a female.

— Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Even if Anna Pigeon carries a gun with cuffs, as real-life law enforcement rangers do, there's much more to the job and character than chasing down criminals.

— Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of criminals

Noun

Still, bonus points for casting Chukwudi Iwuji as the menacing High Evolutionary, one of the oddest and most unsettling Marvel villains in recent memory.

— EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
This trend suggests a need for new, effective villains to balance the roster.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of villains

Noun

Badly in Love manages to break through because the cast of men and women looking for true love are from the Japanese yankii subculture—juvenile delinquents, motorcycle gangsters, troubled women, and more.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 31 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 gangsters

Noun

Armed groups, known as bandits in Nigeria, regularly carry out raids and kidnappings for ransom in the northwest and north-central parts of the country.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
The area was wild and uninhabited, but the bandits moved through it with practiced ease.

— Alexis Okeowo, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of bandits

Noun

But the island was also a haven for outcasts and pirates and merchants, from across Europe and the Levant and beyond, who came to the Caribbean to seek their fortunes or to help grow the fortunes of others.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026
The voyage started with 350 captives; almost all died or were kidnapped a second time by pirates.

— USA Today, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of pirates

Noun

In November 2024, assassins on a motorcycle in the Pacific port city of Manzanaillo shot dead a rear admiral who was said to have blown the whistle on navy entanglement in fuel-smuggling.

— Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
The young women acted as underground assassins, seducing Nazi officers, luring them into the woods and killing them.

— Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026

Definition of assassins

Noun

Sehnaoui's meeting with the Israeli leader occurred as some in Lebanon have called for abolishing a 1955 law that bans dealing with Israel or having contacts with Israelis and punishes offenders with up to 10 years in jail.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
The current penalty for disclosure violations is $200 for first-time offenders.

— Justin Papp, CNBC, 22 July 2026

Definition of offenders

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“Gorillas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorillas. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of gorillas

noun

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