gorilla
B1Neutral to informal (for extended meanings). Zoological/technical meaning is formal.
Definition
Meaning
The largest of the great apes, native to the forests of central Africa, characterized by a stocky build, large hands and feet, dark hair, and a broad, short muzzle.
Informally, a large, powerful, and often intimidating person. In business/politics, a powerful and dominant force (as in '800-pound gorilla').
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The primary, zoological meaning is specific and unambiguous. The extended, metaphorical meanings (intimidating person, dominant force) are common in informal/business contexts but retain a connection to the animal's attributes of size and power.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical difference. Spelling is identical. Metaphorical uses are equally common in both varieties.
Connotations
Identical connotations of size, power, and potential threat/primitiveness in both metaphorical uses.
Frequency
Both the literal and metaphorical uses have comparable frequency in UK and US English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Verb] + gorilla (e.g., see, protect, study)gorilla + [Verb] (e.g., gorilla lives, feeds, beats its chest)[Adjective] + gorilla (e.g., dominant, female, captive)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “800-pound gorilla (an overwhelmingly dominant force in a situation)”
- “gorilla marketing (a pun on 'guerrilla marketing', implying brute-force tactics)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to a dominant market leader (e.g., 'the tech gorilla').
Academic
Used in biological, zoological, and conservation contexts.
Everyday
Refers to the animal, or jokingly to a large/strong person.
Technical
Specific zoological classification: Genus *Gorilla*, species *G. gorilla* and *G. beringei*.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- (Non-standard/very rare) 'He gorillaed his way through the crowd.'
American English
- (Non-standard/very rare) 'He gorillaed his way through the crowd.'
adverb
British English
- (Does not exist as a standard adverb.)
American English
- (Does not exist as a standard adverb.)
adjective
British English
- (Attributive noun common) 'gorilla suit', 'gorilla glue', 'gorilla tactics'.
American English
- (Attributive noun common) 'gorilla strength', 'gorilla mindset', 'gorilla warfare' (misspelling of 'guerrilla').
Examples
By CEFR Level
- We saw a gorilla at the zoo.
- Gorillas are very big.
- The mountain gorilla is an endangered species.
- He's built like a gorilla!
- Conservation efforts have helped increase the gorilla population in the region.
- The market leader is the 800-pound gorilla that all smaller competitors fear.
- The study of gorilla social structures reveals complex kinship bonds and hierarchical dynamics.
- Their legal team is the gorilla in the negotiation room, making any settlement on our terms highly unlikely.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'GORILLA' as 'GO-RILLA' – the ape that can 'GO' powerfully through the forest like Godzilla (a 'rilla').
Conceptual Metaphor
SIZE/POWER IS A GORILLA (e.g., 'a gorilla of a man', 'the 800-pound gorilla in the room').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'guerrilla' (партизан). The words are homophones in English but have completely different meanings.
- The Russian word 'горилла' is a direct cognate, so the meaning is clear, but the spelling in English is double 'r', double 'l'.
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling as 'guerilla' (which is a type of fighter).
- Incorrect plural: 'gorillas' (regular -s), not 'gorilla'.
- Overusing the metaphorical meaning in formal writing where 'dominant force' or 'powerful entity' would be more precise.
Practice
Quiz
Which of these is a common error associated with the word 'gorilla'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Gorilla' is the large ape. 'Guerrilla' (sometimes spelled 'guerilla') refers to a member of a small, independent group fighting a larger force, or the tactics they use (guerrilla warfare). They sound identical.
Very rarely and informally, meaning to act like a gorilla or move with brute force (e.g., 'He gorillaed the door open'). It is non-standard and not found in formal writing.
A 'silverback' is a mature, dominant male gorilla, identified by the patch of silver hair on its back. It leads the troop.
It is context-dependent. It can be negative (emphasizing brute force, lack of finesse, intimidation) or neutral/descriptive (simply denoting dominant size/power, as in '800-pound gorilla').