gorilla

[guh-ril-uh]

noun

1. a terrestrial, largely vegetarian great ape of the genus Gorilla , inhabiting central African forests: possessing great upper body strength, with arms longer and more muscular than its legs, it is noted for its knuckle-walking and is larger than any other living primate.

2. an ugly, brutish person.

3. Slang.,  a hoodlum or thug, especially one who threatens or inflicts violence.

   Like any mob boss, he sent his gorillas to do the dirty work.

4. Disparaging and Offensive.,  (used as a slur against a member of a racial or ethnic minority group, especially a Black person.)

gorilla

/ ɡəˈrɪlə, ɡəˈrɪlaɪn /

noun

1. the largest anthropoid ape, Gorilla gorilla, inhabiting the forests of central W Africa. It is stocky and massive, with a short muzzle and coarse dark hair

2. informal,  a large, strong, and brutal-looking man

Sensitive Note

See simianization.

Other Word Forms

• gorillalike adjective
• gorillian adjective
• gorilline adjective
• gorilloid adjective
• gorilla-like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gorilla¹

First recorded in 1845–50; from New Latin, from Greek Goríllās (accusative plural) name for the females of a hairy tribe encountered in an account of a voyage along the coast of Africa made by the Carthaginian Hanno in the 5th century b.c.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gorilla¹

C19: New Latin, from Greek Gorillai, an African tribe renowned for their hirsute appearance

Example Sentences

I see monkeys swatting at the sails, cats lounging on the bow, and a four-armed gorilla sweeping the deck.

Read more on Literature

“Winter weather is really the 800-pound gorilla that swings it one way or another as a known unknown factor,” he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Similar cases involving cheetahs from Syria, a gorilla from Haiti, and bonobos from Iraq are among those questioned by CITES.

Read more on Barron's

Two fossils shared an amino acid sequence found in humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas, while the others had a version so far unique to Paranthropus.

Read more on Science Daily

YouTube TV has become an 800-pound gorilla in the media business.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• assassin 
• bandit 
• bully 
• criminal 
• gangster 
• goon 
• gunman 
• hooligan 
• mobster 
• murderer 
• rowdy 
• troublemaker