: one that is dominating or uncontrollable because of great size or power
like it or not, the 800-pound gorilla usually sets the standard Daya Nadamuni

Examples of 800-pound gorilla in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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According to the Wall Street Journal, the industry’s 800-pound gorilla, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), is also getting pasted as the venture capital fund’s flagship crypto fund shed 40% of its value in the first half of the year. Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2022 Meta, which essentially pioneered social media when Mr. Zuckerberg launched Facebook out of his Harvard dorm in 2004, has long been the industry’s 800-pound gorilla. Salvador Rodriguez, WSJ, 12 Sep. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of 800-pound gorilla was in 1976

Dictionary Entries Near 800-pound gorilla

Cite this Entry

“800-pound gorilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/800-pound%20gorilla. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

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