kangaroo

[kang-guh-roo]

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

/ 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

• kangaroolike adjective
• kangaroo-like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of kangaroo¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of kangaroo¹

C18: probably from a native Australian language

Example Sentences

“Think how you’ll grieve for all you’ll leave behind,” she sings to a herd of otters, koalas, flamingos, giraffes, bunnies and kangaroos fleeing Oz for the safety of the Yellow Brick Underground Railroad.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“It is a kangaroo tribunal, presided over by an unelected government, whose purpose is to deliver a preordained guilty verdict and to discredit a political opponent,” she said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In her first interview with the BBC since she fled the country on 5 August 2024, she said her trial in absentia was a "farce" orchestrated by a "kangaroo court" controlled by political opponents.

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On plenty of other tours England have played warm-ups until the kangaroos come home and been subsequently hammered in the Tests.

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Wallabies are primarily found in Australia and nearby islands, and are members of the macropod family of marsupials, along with kangaroos.

Read more on BBC