: a very large typically black-colored anthropoid ape (Gorilla gorilla) of equatorial Africa that has a stocky body with broad shoulders and long arms and is less erect and has smaller ears than the chimpanzee
She hired some gorilla as her bodyguard.
the loan shark sent a couple of gorillas to “convince” him to pay up
Recent Examples on the WebIn our gorilla family, there was a 2-year-old and a one-month-old.—Diane Farr, Peoplemag, 21 May 2024 Tourists come to see the famous gorillas, and high-end packages to trek with them can cost thousands of dollars a day.—Tinbete Ermyas, NPR, 20 May 2024 Unlike highly intelligent terrestrial mammals, such as chimps, gorillas, or humans, there is very little evidence that wild killer whales have ever sought revenge.—Tomas Weber, Rolling Stone, 18 May 2024 The new film, which cost about $160 million to make, continues that story of a tribe of peace-loving chimpanzees, this time confronting a rival gorilla faction and a mysterious human visitor.—Thomas Buckley, Fortune, 13 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for gorilla
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gorilla.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Greek Gorillai, plural, a tribe of hairy women mentioned in an account of a voyage around Africa
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