800-pound gorilla
An entity that dominates its environment.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“That company is the 800-pound gorilla in the tech industry.”
“In this negotiation, the bank is the 800-pound gorilla.”
“Small shops struggle to compete because the local supermarket is an 800-pound gorilla that controls all the prices.”
“The social media platform acts like an 800-pound gorilla, forcing every other website to follow its rules if they want to reach new customers.”
“Nobody wants to disagree with the lead designer because his massive reputation makes him the 800-pound gorilla in every meeting.”
“Even with innovative new products, the startup found it nearly impossible to challenge the 800-pound gorilla that had dominated the market for decades.”
first recorded 20th c.
The phrase has been attested since at least 1971, originating from a riddle concerning the sleeping arrangements of a hypothetical primate. To the question, "Where does an 800-pound gorilla sleep?" the provided answer was, "Anywhere it wants." The idiom entered the English lexicon by way of this exchange, the specific weight of the animal serving as a marker for its relative lack of social or physical constraints.
Last updated August 10, 2026