gorilla

American  

[guh-ril-uh] / gəˈrɪl ə /

noun

• gorillas
  plural

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.)

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gorilla British  

/ 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

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Sensitive Note

See simianization.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• gorillas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gorilla

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.

Explanation

A gorilla is the world's largest primate — the kind of great, powerful ape you might see on an African safari. The stocky, large-headed gorilla is one of the most impressive animals you'll come across in the primate area of a zoo. Gorillas are vegetarians whose native habitat is the forest of central west Africa. The word gorilla is sometimes also used to refer to a big, aggressive man. It was first coined in the 19th century by a United States missionary to Africa, from the Greek word gorillai — the word Carthaginian explorer Hanno used to mean "wild, hairy people" in 500 B.C.E.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gorilla gorillas

The Nvidia gorilla is so big, the debt required to keep it growing so huge, that the cost of everything from bonds to mortgages is creeping up.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

“They are the proverbial 800-pound gorilla in the room, and so it’s hard to move them out of the way,” said Trevor Walsh, a senior research analyst at Citizens.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Zoo has welcomed the birth of five great apes, including a gorilla, orangutan and three chimpanzees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

As Benchmark analyst Daniel Kurnos wrote, and Barron’s reported, at the time, “no one likes it when an 800-pound gorilla comes sniffing around.”

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

“He must be the loneliest gorilla in the world,” he said, clutching his mother’s hand.

From "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate

Taylor-Joy, who splits time between London and Los Angeles with her American musician husband, Malcolm McRae, talked about overcoming insomnia, greeting gorillas and meditating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

That was one of the best Christmases I’ve ever had, spending Christmas with the gorillas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

The sample included gorillas, orangutans, macaques, colobus monkeys, fossil apes and more.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026

Next up, the gorillas Chenchi and Faustina were presented with two pinatas shaped like player jerseys -- one from Spain, and the other from Uruguay.

From Barron's ● Jun. 6, 2026

We started the next afternoon in front of the gorillas.

From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine

Related Words

• assassin
• bandit
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• criminal
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