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
- 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.
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.
With around 66% of humans forming monogamous bonds, we outscore chimps and gorillas but fall short of the Californian mouse, the true heavyweight champion of lifelong love.
From BBC
In 2024, the graffiti artist created an animal trail around the capital with pieces featuring a goat, elephants, a gorilla, monkeys, piranhas, a rhino and pelicans among other animals.
From BBC
The baby male gorilla has not yet been named by zoo staff, but he has already been introduced to his older sister.
From Los Angeles Times
So can the capital's wildlife compare to the broadcaster's encounters with mountain gorillas in Rwanda, the mimicry of a lyrebird in Australia or a blue whale breaching beside his small boat?
From BBC
At 66% monogamous, humans score surprisingly highly, far above chimps and gorillas – and on a par with meerkats.
From BBC
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.
