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
  1. thugs
  2. criminals
  3. villains
  4. gangsters
  5. bandits
  6. pirates
  7. assassins
  8. offenders
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
  • Spencer says filmmaker Douglas wanted to very much focus mostly on the women rather than talking about the criminals.
    — Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Depending on the plan, monitoring may cover credit activity, financial accounts, investment and retirement accounts, phone takeovers, SIM swaps, utility accounts and other areas where criminals may try to use your identity.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of criminals
Noun
  • Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, U30 lister Tom Holland, is back on the screen to beat both villains and records.
    — Alexandra York, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The aforementioned Richie Aprile, played wonderfully by David Proval, makes for one of the most menacing villains of the series.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of villains
Noun
  • This high-security prison is a sprawling complex that houses thousands of detainees, including notorious gangsters, terrorists and prominent white-collar offenders.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Especially when the protagonists are fighting gangsters, offensive editors, twitchy Vatican librarians, and an oversized Jason Momoa, to claim the hand of Gal Gadot’s two characters, one in the present, one in the past.
    — A.D. Amorosi, SPIN, 6 Aug. 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
  • White was briefly granted an exception, but pirates attacked that attempt, stealing his supplies and forcing him back to England.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • In the national consciousness, Blackpool has become a morbid caricature of working-class Britain—a place where binge drinking, violence, and vomit are in view of teacup rides, kids on the beach, and plastic pirates.
    — George Francis Lee, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of pirates
Noun
  • Many of Ellis’s most awful characters are the most conventionally attractive, their looks serving as a shield against their various crimes; Murphy co-created The Beauty, in which tech moguls and assassins kill to be beautiful.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Authorities were seeking both the assassins and masterminds of the crime, according to the president.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of assassins
Noun
  • This high-security prison is a sprawling complex that houses thousands of detainees, including notorious gangsters, terrorists and prominent white-collar offenders.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Based upon their replies, occupying Allied officials ranked their culpability, then tried the worst offenders — most famously in the Nuremberg trials, but also in numerous local tribunals.
    — Fern Schumer Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of offenders

Browse Nearby Words

gorilla
gorillas
goring
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Cite this Entry

“Gorillas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorillas. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of gorillas for Spanish Speakers

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