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
Building these rudimentary and temporary platforms—something modern gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees still do—would have offered protection from predators and blood-sucking insects.
—
Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
This makes the country the only place in East Africa in which to see gorillas (in Volcanoes NP), chimpanzees (in Nyungwe NP), and lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and white and black rhino, alongside plains game and over 550 species of birds (in Akagera NP).
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
New Gorillas, New Dynamics Little Joe may be leaving, but Franklin Park Zoo isn’t saying goodbye to gorillas.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
Two young gorillas are set to arrive this spring.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2026
As part of the breeding program, he will be replaced by two young gorillas in the spring.
—Neal Riley, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
The park’s gorillas have faced some dramatic changes over the past couple of years.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
These days, Fatou lives in an enclosure of her own and prefers to keep her distance from the zoo’s other gorillas in her old age.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
At 69, Fatou has lived far beyond what most gorillas experience.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
This makes the country the only place in East Africa in which to see gorillas (in Volcanoes NP), chimpanzees (in Nyungwe NP), and lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and white and black rhino, alongside plains game and over 550 species of birds (in Akagera NP).
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
New Gorillas, New Dynamics Little Joe may be leaving, but Franklin Park Zoo isn’t saying goodbye to gorillas.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
Two young gorillas are set to arrive this spring.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2026
As part of the breeding program, he will be replaced by two young gorillas in the spring.
—Neal Riley, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
The park’s gorillas have faced some dramatic changes over the past couple of years.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
These days, Fatou lives in an enclosure of her own and prefers to keep her distance from the zoo’s other gorillas in her old age.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
At 69, Fatou has lived far beyond what most gorillas experience.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorillas
Noun
-
He’s beaten by thugs with a crowbar for an unfortunate outburst, exploited by neighbors in the council estate and arrested, all because people don’t understand Tourette syndrome.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Mayor vows to catch 'thugs who did this' Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards promised that law enforcement will catch the people responsible for the violence at the mall.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
However, Connecticut Citizens Defense League President Holly Sullivan told Fox News Digital that statewide Democrats chose to go after law-abiding citizens instead of criminals by passing this piece of legislation.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
-
Immigration policy is destroying the lives of families, not criminals.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The ones to watch out for are the ones who should be villains that aren’t.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
-
The iconic heroes and villains will join familiar faces already found throughout the outpost, including Ahsoka Tano, the Mandalorian, Grogu, R2-D2, Rey and more.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Theater owners cut prices and dispensed prizes to ticket buyers as the gangsters effectively cross-pollinated with the studio dance numbers.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Violent gangsters ran fentanyl and human smuggling over the Rio Grande.—
Ioan Grillo,
Time,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The movie is understood to follow a sheriff and a doctor who seek revenge against a group of bandits who use the cover of a torrential thunderstorm to rob and terrorize the occupants of a small town.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
-
On Derby Day in 1923, four masked bandits raided the hotel poker room, escaping into the crowds with what would now amount to a small fortune.—
Hillary Richard,
Robb Report,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Kidd had been commissioned to protect English vessels against pirates and the French, but after taking an Indian ship with an English captain in 1698, he was accused of piracy.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
-
While not based on exact historical events, the film is set during a period when Korea struggled with frequent raids by Japanese pirates.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Riquelme Vega, a Chilean Dutch cocaine importer also in the Super Cartel, wanted to murder a rival in Dubai by sending a team of Colombian assassins to the Emirates, Kinahan voiced his disapproval.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Confronting her ends in violence, drawing Reacher into a web of secrets involving the Pentagon, political assassins and a powerful woman with ties to the military.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Tens of thousands of offenders are released each year while their cases proceed in the court system, and hundreds are placed in the court’s GPS program (the sheriff’s electronic monitoring program is not accepting new participants).—
Silvana Tabares,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
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However, the balance of these facilities could be correctional facilities for the worst offenders of the public trust with respect to fraud and corruption.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gorillas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorillas. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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