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
Thousands of people online weighed in on their chances to overpower the gorilla 100 to 1.
—
Angela Yang, NBC news, 1 May 2025
An echo of the duck question, the man vs. gorilla fight first emerged on Reddit in 2020, in the subreddit r/whowouldwin.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Some of the posts, such as one referencing a viral debate about whether 100 men or one gorilla would win in a fight, have tapped into an internet phenomenon of the moment.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 7 May 2025
The next year Wickers came to Wrigley on opening day wearing a gorilla suit.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Angela Yang, NBC news, 1 May 2025
An echo of the duck question, the man vs. gorilla fight first emerged on Reddit in 2020, in the subreddit r/whowouldwin.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Some of the posts, such as one referencing a viral debate about whether 100 men or one gorilla would win in a fight, have tapped into an internet phenomenon of the moment.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 7 May 2025
The next year Wickers came to Wrigley on opening day wearing a gorilla suit.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gorilla
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorilla
Noun
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According to reporting from the Clermont Sun, Fike tweeted ‘#thug the new n word’ in April 2015 and ‘Thug life = thug treatment = no pity from me’ in July 2019.—
James Wilkins,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 July 2025
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These scenes evoke images of government thugs in violent regimes disappearing opponents.—
Christy Lopez Guest,
Mercury News,
5 July 2025
Noun
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But just to use an example, Force Awakens sets up Snoke as the big villain of the new trilogy, with a mysterious backstory.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
12 July 2025
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Matthias Schoenaerts signed on as the film's villain, Krem of the Yellow Hills, in September 2024, per Deadline, and a few months later, Jason Momoa confirmed his casting as the violent intergalactic bounty hunter, Lobo.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
12 July 2025
Noun
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Riri joins their band of bandits — hacker Slug (Shea Couleé), pyrotechnic master Clown (Sonia Denis), enforcers Jeri (Zoe Terakes) and Roz (Shakira Barrera) aka the Blood Siblings.—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
11 July 2025
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The article, published in the July issue of Maguire Magazine, questions whether the bandit Jasper Gunn ever existed in the first place.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
18 June 2025
Noun
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Alfredo’s lifelong business partner and small-time gangster Annibale (Marco Giallini) even sees it as his chance to ask Lorella on a date.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
8 July 2025
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Where to watch: Tubi 'Sinners' Ryan Coogler's sinfully good period musical gangster vampire horror flick is one of the best movies of the year, period.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
5 July 2025
Noun
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PlayStation 5 Games Deals The Assassin's Creed franchise has been a staple in gaming consoles for nearly 20 years now, and Shadows, the latest iteration, furthers that tradition with a game that puts players behind Naoe, a shinobi assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
11 July 2025
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The details of how these would-be assassins got so close are still shrouded in mystery.—
Jenny Goldsberry,
The Washington Examiner,
10 July 2025
Noun
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But with this bill, Republicans are laying the groundwork to gut safeguards that stopped criminals from getting these deadly weapons.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 July 2025
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Recently, however, the technology has been used by criminals for purposes of sextortion.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
Noun
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However, the very same ruling condemned Anthropic for its alternative sourcing method: using pirate websites.—
Douglas B. Laney,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
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In the early 1900s, long before smartphones and selfie sticks, tourists flocked to Yellowstone National Park — not for the geysers or scenery, but for a grotesque show: A nightly spectacle of grizzly bears raiding cafeteria scraps from open-pit landfills like desperate, starving pirates.—
Christine Peterson,
Vox,
27 June 2025
Noun
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Additional violations included grease accumulation on the exhaust hood, behind cooking equipment and near the water heater.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado,
Sacbee.com,
3 July 2025
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Madeline warns Riri to destroy the hood before kicking them out.—
Stacia Brown,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gorilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorilla. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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