gorilla

American  

[guh-ril-uh] / gəˈrɪl ə /

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.)

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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

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

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

A new Netflix documentary, A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough has followed the family - whose members are descendants of Pablo, the cheeky, curious, young gorilla captured on camera in 1978.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

To create a lower-stakes testing ground, Netflix greenlighted “Baby Gorilla Cam,” a livestream of a family of gorillas at the Cleveland Zoo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026

Guests can see the new western lowland gorilla infant and the family troop at Campo Gorilla Reserve.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025

Their soundtrack comprised southern rap from Gucci Mane, Gorilla Zoe and Lil’ Keke, but there was little of the synchronized clapping and crosses often seen in Atlanta style.

From New York Times • May 2, 2024

Gorilla expressions and human expressions are a lot alike.

From "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate

Related Words

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