gorilla
Americannoun
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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.
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an ugly, brutish person.
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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.
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Disparaging and Offensive. (used as a slur against a member of a racial or ethnic minority group, especially a Black person.)
noun
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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
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informal a large, strong, and brutal-looking man
Sensitive Note
See simianization.
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing gorilla
Amazing Animals, List 1
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Commonly Confused Words, List 2
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Amazing Animals, A-Z
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As Sir David approaches his 100th birthday on 8 May, he has taken part in two documentaries that look back at that unforgettable meeting and the dramatic story of what became of that gorilla family.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
While there will never be a moment when anyone can say the gorilla population is safe, there are now around 600 gorillas on the mountain.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
Naturalist and narrator extraordinaire David Attenborough is likely beyond the point where he wants to wrestle a baby gorilla in the mountains of Rwanda.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
But it’s not an easy decision, Suk added, because Meta “is the 800-pound gorilla in the room” when it comes to online advertising.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026
This morning, for some reason, there is no gorilla show on TV.
From "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
