800-pound gorilla

noun

ˈāt-ˈhən-drəd-ˈpau̇nd- How to pronounce 800-pound gorilla (audio)
-dərd-
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 Boeing was unstoppable, far and away the 800-pound gorilla of commercial aviation. — Dylan Ogline, Forbes, 26 Aug. 2022 With all due respect to King Kong, the real 800-pound gorilla of animal attack movies is Steven Spielberg's still-nerve-rending blockbuster. — Clark Collis, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022 See All Example Sentences for 800-pound gorilla

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

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

Browse Nearby Words

800 number
800-pound gorilla
80 Ursae Majoris
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“800-pound gorilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/800-pound%20gorilla. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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