gorilla
noun
go·ril·la gə-ˈri-lə 
1
: a very large typically black-colored anthropoid ape (Gorilla gorilla) of equatorial Africa that has a stocky body with broad shoulders and long arms and is less erect and has smaller ears than the chimpanzee
2
a
: an ugly or brutal man
b
: thug, goon
Synonyms
- bully
- gangbanger
- gangsta
- gangster
- goon
- hood
- hoodlum
- hooligan
- mobster
- mug
- plug-ugly
- punk
- roughneck
- rowdy
- ruffian
- thug
- tough
- toughie
- toughy
- yob [British]
- yobbo [British]
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
She hired some gorilla as her bodyguard. the loan shark sent a couple of gorillas to “convince” him to pay up
Recent Examples on the Web The only jungle is a manmade one at the San Diego wildlife sanctuary where George, the gorilla, lives. 
Eva Holland, Outside Online, 14 Aug. 2022 No amount of talking, though, will make the gorilla slink away. Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY, 21 July 2022 Video on YouTube shows park visitors trying to distract the gorilla by whistling and calling his name, Franklin. Gary Warth, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2022 Getting snared in having missed seeing the gorilla is a huge takedown in our cognitive confidence. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 May 2022 The brutal evolutionary gorilla in the salon of civilization must be treated to tea and compliments. M. D. Aeschliman, National Review, 27 Mar. 2022 The big gorilla of retirement living is the Villages, seventy miles west, America’s fastest-growing metro area. Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2022 An African explorer, Paul Du Chaillu, was the first westerner to describe the gorilla. Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2022 When Juba notices Findley, the male gorilla turns to face the zookeeper and gazes at her baby. Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 4 Mar. 2022 See More
Eva Holland, Outside Online, 14 Aug. 2022 No amount of talking, though, will make the gorilla slink away. Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY, 21 July 2022 Video on YouTube shows park visitors trying to distract the gorilla by whistling and calling his name, Franklin. Gary Warth, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2022 Getting snared in having missed seeing the gorilla is a huge takedown in our cognitive confidence. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 May 2022 The brutal evolutionary gorilla in the salon of civilization must be treated to tea and compliments. M. D. Aeschliman, National Review, 27 Mar. 2022 The big gorilla of retirement living is the Villages, seventy miles west, America’s fastest-growing metro area. Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2022 An African explorer, Paul Du Chaillu, was the first westerner to describe the gorilla. Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2022 When Juba notices Findley, the male gorilla turns to face the zookeeper and gazes at her baby. Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 4 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Greek Gorillai, plural, a tribe of hairy women mentioned in an account of a voyage around Africa
First Known Use
1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing gorilla
Kids Definition
gorilla
noun
go·ril·la gə-ˈri-lə
: a very large ape of the forests of central Africa that lives mostly on the ground
gorilla
noun
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- thug
- villain
- bandit
- criminal
- gangster
- assassin
- pirate
- mobster
- ruffian
- hood
- goon
- roughneck
- bully
- gangbanger
- gangsta
- offender
- hooligan
- hoodlum
- thief
- plug-ugly
- tough
- rowdy
- punk
- toughie
- yob
- mug
- yobbo
- perpetrator
- robber
- mafioso
- scoundrel
- outlaw
- desperado
- cutthroat
- felon
- perp
- gunman
- brigand
- crook
- toughy
- racketeer
- swindler
- malefactor
- pickpocket
- vandal
- juvenile delinquent
- lawbreaker
- highwayman
- bravo
- tearaway
- gnathobase
- gnathobasic
- Gnathobdellae
- gnathocephalon
- gnathochilarium
- gnathonic
- gnathopod
- Gnathopoda
- gnathopodite
- gnathopodous
- gnathosoma
- gnathosome
- gnathostegite
- Gnathostomata
- gnathostomatae
- gnathostomatas
- gnathostomatous
- gnathostome
- gnathostomes
- Gnathostomi
- gnathostomous
- gnathothoracic
- gnathothorax
- gnatling
- gnatlings