kangaroo

American  

[kang-guh-roo] / ˌkæŋ gəˈru /

noun

plural

kangaroos,

plural

kangaroo

1. any herbivorous marsupial of the family Macropodidae, of Australia and adjacent islands, having a small head, short forelimbs, powerful hind legs used for leaping, and a long, thick tail: several species are threatened or endangered.

---

kangaroo British  

/ ˌkæŋɡəˈruː /

noun

1. any large herbivorous marsupial of the genus Macropus and related genera, of Australia and New Guinea, having large powerful hind legs, used for leaping, and a long thick tail: family Macropodidae See also rat kangaroo tree kangaroo

2. (usually plural) stock exchange an Australian share, esp in mining, land, or a tobacco company

---

verb

1. informal (of a car) to move forward or to cause (a car) to move forward with short sudden jerks, as a result of improper use of the clutch

Other Word Forms

• kangaroo-like adjective
• kangaroolike adjective

Etymology

Origin of kangaroo

First recorded in 1760–70; from Guugu Yimidhirr (an Australian Aboriginal language spoken around Cooktown, northern Queensland) gaŋ-urru, a large black or gray species of kangaroo

Compare meaning

How does kangaroo compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• wallaby vs. kangaroo

Example Sentences

"I hate losing, so that's my motivation," said Alcaraz, who plans to have a tattoo of a kangaroo to mark his achievement.

From Barron's

Australian Jay Vine won the Tour Down Under - despite being knocked off his bike in a crash caused by a kangaroo.

From BBC

New research suggests that the giant ancestors of modern kangaroos may not have been as limited in their movement as once believed.

From Science Daily

“We don’t want these guys to have kangaroo courts,” Vance said.

From The Wall Street Journal

These small kangaroo relatives are native to Western Australia and have become the country's most frequently translocated mammal due to ongoing conservation programs aimed at protecting the critically endangered species.

From Science Daily