[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/gorilla/)

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# gorilla

noun (a gorilla, gorillas)

«gorilla» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A gorilla is the largest kind of ape, a very strong, mostly gentle animal with dark fur that lives in the forests of central Africa. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gorilla/#m1)
2. Informally, a gorilla can mean a big, rough, frightening man (not kind to say). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gorilla/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science gorillas appear in lessons about apes, primates, habitats, food chains and endangered animals: they eat mostly plants, live in family groups led by a big male called a silverback, and are protected because they are endangered. In stories they can stand for great strength. Phrases: «mountain gorilla», «silverback gorilla», «gorilla family».

### Examples

- The gorilla sat quietly eating leaves. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gorilla/#x1)
- A male gorilla can weigh more than two grown men. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gorilla/#x2)
- We watched the gorillas at the zoo. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gorilla/#x3)
- Gorillas beat their chests to show strength or to warn others. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gorilla/#x4)
- Mountain gorillas are endangered and need protection. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gorilla/#x5)
- The baby gorilla clung to its mother's back. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gorilla/#x6)
- Gorillas are apes, not monkeys, because they have no tail. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gorilla/#x7)
- People who hunt gorillas are breaking the law. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gorilla/#x8)
- The Judge was a Monkey, a large Gorilla venerable with age. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gorilla/#x9)

### Note

Countable: «a gorilla», «gorillas». Homophone trap: «guerrilla» (a fighter in a small army) sounds the same. Gorillas are apes, not monkeys. Myth: gorillas are not usually aggressive; they mostly avoid trouble.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «gorilla» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gorilla/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«gorilla» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/gorilla.html) on Mova free.