opossum
Americannoun
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a prehensile-tailed marsupial, Didelphis virginiana, of the eastern U.S., the female having an abdominal pouch in which its young are carried: noted for the habit of feigning death when in danger.
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any of various animals of related genera.
noun
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Sometimes (informal) shortened to: possum. any thick-furred marsupial, esp Didelphis marsupialis ( common opossum ), of the family Didelphidae of S North, Central, and South America, having an elongated snout and a hairless prehensile tail
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Also called (Austral and NZ): possum. any of various similar animals, esp the phalanger, Trichosurus vulpecula, of the New Zealand bush
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of opossum
First recorded in 1600–10, from Virginia Algonquian ( English spelling) opassom, opussum, aposoum (equivalent to Proto-Algonquian (unattested) wa˙p- “white” + (unattested) -aʔθemw- “dog”)
Explanation
An opossum is a small, nocturnal animal famous for its ability to play dead when threatened by predators. Opossums are marsupials, which means mothers carry their babies in a pouch. Opossums are also called possums, and the colloquial phrase used when they play dead is "playing possum." These omnivorous, cat-sized mammals often get a bad rap, thought of as dirty, hissing creatures that lurk around your garbage cans at night. In reality, opossums are very clean and highly social. They also perform the important task of fighting Lyme disease: one opossum can eat as many as 5,000 ticks each year.
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:
The second season, which premieres Tuesday, is called “Lost in the Jungle,” and it follows the journeys of an opossum, an iguana and a jumping spider in the Central American rainforest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2025
The demolished deer, the obliterated opossum, the wrecked raccoon: This is the detritus of our human-dominated age.
From Slate ● May 25, 2024
In the end, though, it was just a "giant opossum that was under the house", she testified.
From BBC ● May 9, 2024
William Voiles, an artist who makes braided trinkets, said the 1-year-old opossum had been confiscated in the city’s French Quarter during Mardi Gras celebrations earlier this month as part of a public safety effort.
From New York Times ● Feb. 21, 2024
Stephen and his mother eventually gave up trying to find the mysterious baby opossum.
From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate
A national pest control company will provide opossums, rats, raccoons, and skunks from 10 cities.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 29, 2024
Fish & Wildlife Service and Southern Illinois University have outfitted opossums and raccoons with tracking collars affixed with sensors that are triggered when the animal dies.
From National Geographic ● Dec. 11, 2023
“Unlike gut piles, which are often peppered with bullet fragments, car-killed opossums and squirrels come lead-free, Whole Foods for the necrophagous set.”
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2023
While often referred to as “koala bears,” koalas are not bears but are marsupials like kangaroos or opossums.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2023
“Every year, the opossums and owls and such vacate the premises on Wishing Day. Strangest thing. It’s like they know what’s coming.”
From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
