numbat

American

[nuhm-bat] / ˈnʌm bæt /

noun

banded anteater.

numbat British

/ ˈnʌmˌbæt /

noun

Also called: banded anteater. a small Australian marsupial, Myrmecobius fasciatus, having a long snout and tongue and strong claws for hunting and feeding on termites: family Dasyuridae

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of numbat

First recorded in 1920–25, numbat is from the Nyungar word numbat

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

numbat

Tony arrived at Dryandra back in the 80s to find a numbat population fewer than 50.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Eluding us is the numbat, a rare Australian marsupial which could be the love-child of a chipmunk and an anteater.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

For two weeks each spring, as the young start venturing from their burrows, this team drives a daily circuit and records every numbat spotted.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Small wins, like the future of the numbat, keep them fighting.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

The white and the black cockatoo are common to the three colonies, as are many kinds of the smaller parrots, the kangaroo, and the kangaroo-rat, the numbat, the opossum, the native cat, and many others.

From The Bushman — Life in a New Country by Edward Wilson Landor

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023