as in thug
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gorilla
Native Eye Travel’s gorilla trekking tour in Dzanga Sangha Reserve starts at Yaounde in Cameroon to avoid any routes that run through potentially problematic areas in the Central African Republic.
—
Emese MacZko, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Fifty-one years ago, after trying out Zorro, Superman and gorilla costumes, Angus Young took a suggestion from his sister, borrowed her son’s school uniform and wore it onstage.
—Steve Knopper, Billboard, 21 Apr. 2025
The eastern lowland gorilla, or Grauer’s gorilla, is found in the lowland tropical rainforest of eastern DRC and is the largest of the four gorilla subspecies – all of which are endangered.
—Nell Lewis, CNN Money, 29 May 2025
The zoo, which will open a two-acre habitat for gorillas in the fall, also now offers a safari-style drive through its largest habitat, the Naylor Savanna.
—Anna Halkidis, Parents, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Emese MacZko, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Fifty-one years ago, after trying out Zorro, Superman and gorilla costumes, Angus Young took a suggestion from his sister, borrowed her son’s school uniform and wore it onstage.
—Steve Knopper, Billboard, 21 Apr. 2025
The eastern lowland gorilla, or Grauer’s gorilla, is found in the lowland tropical rainforest of eastern DRC and is the largest of the four gorilla subspecies – all of which are endangered.
—Nell Lewis, CNN Money, 29 May 2025
The zoo, which will open a two-acre habitat for gorillas in the fall, also now offers a safari-style drive through its largest habitat, the Naylor Savanna.
—Anna Halkidis, Parents, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorilla
Noun
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Summit, June 10 Image So Far Gone by Jess Walter Rhys Kinnick, a journalist and a recluse, is living off the grid in the woods near Spokane, Wash., when his grandchildren are kidnapped by thugs.—
Laura Thompson,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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Everything changes, however, when two thugs come to visit and promptly beat the ever-loving heck out of Hank at the front door.—
Emlyn Travis Published,
EW.com,
21 May 2025
Noun
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New threats emerge, including a ruthless new villain (Bill Skarsgård) and a blind assassin from Wick’s past, played by Donnie Yen in a standout performance.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
6 June 2025
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Nicholas Hoult plays the film’s villain, the megalomaniac super-genius Lex Luthor.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
5 June 2025
Noun
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There were corridos about the exploits of bandits and outlaws, some of them Robin Hood-esque characters who outwitted oafish authorities and helped the poor.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2025
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The Golden State Warriors came out like bandits to open the third quarter of Game 2 on Thursday, pulling to within seven of the Timberwolves early in the frame at Target Center.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Mohammed's character Hugh has to snort cocaine during the trio's initial meeting with the gangster Fly (Paddy Considine) to prove that the trio aren't posers.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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His father was a Genovese gangster murdered by the Colombo crime family in retaliation for committing two slayings — a story people told Pappa as a child — and his stepfather was locked up for drug and tax evasion charges.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
9 June 2025
Noun
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The operation, made up of Belarusian contract killers, runs a ballet academy that is a front for their assassin training facility.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
6 June 2025
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New threats emerge, including a ruthless new villain (Bill Skarsgård) and a blind assassin from Wick’s past, played by Donnie Yen in a standout performance.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Cruz, the son of an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador who came to the U.S. in the 1970s, said he’s angered by the federal government’s portrayal that anyone without documents living in the United States is a criminal.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2025
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Their records contain sensitive personal information, that, if leaked, could allow criminals to steal the identities of unsuspecting customers.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
Noun
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Lion has defected from the Wakandan guard in order to run a band of pirates, and has stolen technology from Wakanda in order to found his own kingdom.—
Kambole Campbell,
Variety,
9 June 2025
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And for Trump’s onetime pirate ship of a political movement, Butterworth’s represents an ostentatious new evolutionary phase: the deplorable as arriviste.—
Robert Draper,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Noun
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Doctoring provides powerful tools for getting under the hood, but writing offers ones that dig into the interstitial spaces where our more utilitarian tools falter.—
Danielle Ofri,
New Yorker,
7 June 2025
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Two things are key: ‘Spatial analytics’ are easy to use—the complexity is under the hood.—
Cindy Elliott,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gorilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorilla. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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