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

Relevance

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 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 Researchers tickled 13 captive apes — including gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees and bonobos — and recorded the results. — ABC News, 25 June 2026 Chimpanzees and gorillas both live in groups where nearly all of the adults are female. — ArsTechnica, 25 June 2026 In a Sunday, June 14 update shared on its website and social media pages, Ape Action Africa announced that Parry, one of the gorillas in the organization's care in Cameroon, has completed a lengthy recovery and is back living in the forest. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 25 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 Baby gorillas learn about the world and the social dynamics of their family group, known as a troop, through their mother. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorillas

Noun

In the big screen take of Clayface, Hagen is a matinee idol on the rise, but his face gets slashed by thugs.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 23 July 2026
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

Definition of thugs

Noun

The detective-heroines (and especially the actress-detectives) in this canon are careful about how performance might be extended to social duplicity, dishonesty, and fraud—but the lady criminals of Victorian detective fiction cross this line easily.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 July 2026
From 1873 to 1991, the island served as Costa Rica’s principal penitentiary, where some of the country’s worst criminals were sent to serve often short and torturous sentences.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 24 July 2026

Definition of criminals

Noun

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
In each, the protagonist(s) will be sought by both police and gangsters yet will lose their own money and have to get along without any while on the run.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

Definition of gangsters

Noun

The plot is set in motion when dacoits (armed bandits) rob and murder Ram Lal, the village moneylender and head of Mano Majra’s only Hindu household.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 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 bandits

Noun

The hijacking is the latest in a series of attacks attributed to Somali pirates, whose activities have resurfaced in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean after years of relative inactivity.

— Omar Faruk, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
But then a banquet meal goes horribly awry, and pirates sink the ship.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 17 July 2026

Definition of pirates

Noun

Lucky Number Slevin, a movie about mistaken identity, rival crime syndicates, and assassins, was, for some reason (Josh Hartnett), one of the comfort movies of my childhood.

— Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 1 July 2026
These artisans, with their trade secrets, were kept on Murano, a cluster of islands just across the lagoon from the city, ostensibly as a precaution against fire, though the state would also send assassins after anyone who tried to leave.

— Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

Definition of assassins

Noun

Numerous programs are being implemented to attempt to reduce the probability of recidivism through education and counseling and to reintegrate offenders into society.

— Ronald J. Allen, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026
Ireland has approved landmark legislation to create the country’s first public register of domestic violence offenders, in a move campaigners say will empower people to check whether a potential partner has a history of violence.

— Kara Fox, CNN Money, 17 July 2026

Definition of offenders

Browse Nearby Words

gorilla

gorillas

goring

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Gorillas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorillas. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of gorillas

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on gorillas

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

kludge

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples

Popular in Wordplay

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes