gorilla
noun
\
Definition of gorilla
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms for gorilla
Synonyms
bully, gangbanger, gangsta, gangster, goon, hood, hoodlum, hooligan, mobster, mug, plug-ugly, punk, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian, thug, tough, toughie (also toughy), yob [British], yobbo [British]
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of gorilla in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When he had been handed the job two days ago, from the mysterious man with the DFL fund-raising memo in his pocket (Dokey had lifted it, just for the practice), there was no mention that the mark might have a 250-pound gorilla with him. — Larry Millett, Twin Cities, "From the archives: Murder-on-a-stick: A Pioneer Press serial mystery novel (Chapter 1)," 21 Aug. 2019 Most gorillas in zoos now are born in captivity, but Trudy was born in the wild. — Madeline Holcombe, CNN, "The oldest living western lowland gorilla in a zoo has died at 63," 26 July 2019 Rwanda's tourism is centered around its astonishing wildlife, particularly its population of primates, whether chimps in Nyungwe Forest or gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. — Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, "Best Places to Visit in September," 25 July 2019 Even more surprising, each ape interacted with some 39 other gorillas to whom they weren’t related. — Virginia Morell, Science | AAAS, "Gorillas have developed humanlike social structure, controversial study suggests," 17 July 2019 Dennis and Callahan were both suspended for two weeks after comparing an escaped zoo gorilla to minority students who participated in Metco, a voluntary busing program. — Chad Finn, BostonGlobe.com, "Gerry Callahan is done at WEEI," 12 July 2019 When Koko’s pet kitten died in 1985 after being struck by a car, the gorilla was reported to shed tears and mourn the tragedy. — Philip Potempa, Post-Tribune, "Mr. Rogers still a trusted name and neighbor to Northwest Indiana public TV," 27 June 2018 But, at least for one game, a 10-9 victory in which the walk-off winning run was scored in the bottom of the ninth, we finally got rid of that 1,600-pound gorilla on the team’s back. — Rubén Rosario, Twin Cities, "Rosario: Yes, Victoria. There is not only a Santa Claus but Neumann’s finally won a game," 29 July 2019 Hike Rwanda’s protected Virunga Mountains to see gorillas. — Catherine Feliciano-chon, Quartz, "Asia’s affluent boomers are making aging aspirational," 29 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gorilla.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for gorilla
gorilla
nounFinancial Definition of gorilla
What It Is
A gorilla is a company that controls most of the market for a product or service.
How It Works
For example, in the 1990s, Microsoft was a gorilla in the market for operating systems. Sure, there were competitors, but they were very small, had tiny market shares, and avoided taking Microsoft on directly. Microsoft had billions to invest in marketing and innovation, and could easily undercut, out-distribute, and outsell these tiny competitors. As the saying goes, an 800-pound gorilla does whatever it wants.
Why It Matters
A gorilla's huge size means that competitors must carefully consider the gorilla's potential reactions to certain business decisions. Many gorillas have a shot at monopolizing the market. However, federal antitrust laws, most notably the Sherman Act, make collusive activity and monopolistic behavior illegal in the United States. There is, however, still an incentive to compete with a gorilla. After all, an undetected price cut (or increase in production) will attract customers who are buying from the gorilla and customers who are not buying the product at all. Price adjustments may be subtle, including better credit terms, faster delivery or related free services.
Gorillas are most effective when the demand for the gorilla's product is not very affected by price. This is why gorillas are more effective in the short term; over the long term, prices often become elastic as consumers find cheaper substitutes for the product.
Source: Investing Answers
gorilla
noun
English Language Learners Definition of gorilla
See the full definition for gorilla in the English Language Learners Dictionary
gorilla
noun
\
Kids Definition of gorilla
Keep scrolling for more