possum

American  

[pos-uhm] / ˈpɒs əm /

noun

1. opossum.

2. Australian. any of various phalangers, especially of the genus Trichosurus.

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idioms

1. play possum,

   1. to feign sleep or death.

   2. to dissemble or pretend ignorance.

      The baseball broke the window, but the children played possum when asked who had thrown it.

possum British  

/ ˈpɒsəm /

noun

1. an informal name for opossum

2. Also called: phalanger.  any of various Australasian arboreal marsupials, such as Trichosurus vulpecula ( brush-tailed phalanger ), having dense fur and a long tail: family Phalangeridae

3. to pretend to be dead, ignorant, asleep, etc, in order to deceive an opponent

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possum More Idioms  

1. see play possum.

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Usage

Plural word for possum The plural form of possum is possums. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -um are also formed in this way, including museum/museums and drum/drums. Possum is pluralized in the regular, or standard, way of adding an -s to the end of the word. In some nouns that end in -um that are derived from Latin, the irregular plural ending -a may be used instead, as in memorandum/memoranda and curriculum/curricula. These nouns are considered irregular nouns. However, the -a ending isn’t valid for possum, because the word derives from the Virginia Algonquian term (with English spelling) opussum. Possa would be an invalid plural for possum.

Etymology

Origin of possum

1605–15, short for opossum

Explanation

A possum is a cat-sized nocturnal animal that's known for acting like it's dead when threatened. If you find a white animal with black eyes and ears in your garbage at night, it's probably a possum. The word possum is an informal, regional variation on opossum that's only used in North America. It's especially common in the phrase "playing possum," which refers to the possum's involuntary reaction to fear or harm, falling into a death-like faint, and also to a person who pretends to be innocent. So you might accuse your younger brother, as he shrugs when you ask who ate the last brownie, of playing possum.

Example Sentences

Coupled with the darkly melodic alt-rock of Possum Dixon as openers, the show was a hot ticket.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 26, 2025

The Italian-language blog Silere Non Possum noted that Pope Francis received Rupnik in audience on Jan. 3 of this year, so while he was under investigation.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 6, 2022

Two fires, the Chalk Mountain and Possum Kingdom Lake fires, have by themselves burned at least 21 homes.

From Washington Times • Jul. 21, 2022

Possum grapes “are hard to come by,” Mrs. Shields-Jefferson said.

From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2022

I’d seent this afore in Possum Moan; when you summed it up with his bow legs, these was signs that someone had got a bad dose of rickets when they was young.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis