possum
[ pos-uhm ]
/ ˈpɒs əm /
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noun
Australian. any of various phalangers, especially of the genus Trichosurus.
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Idioms for possum
- to feign sleep or death.
- to dissemble or pretend ignorance: The baseball broke the window, but the children played possum when asked who had thrown it.
play possum, Informal.
Origin of possum
1605–15, Americanism; short for opossum
Words nearby possum
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for possum
British Dictionary definitions for possum
possum
/ (ˈpɒsəm) /
noun
an informal name for opossum (def. 1)
Also called: phalanger Australian and NZ any of various Australasian arboreal marsupials, such as Trichosurus vulpecula (brush-tailed phalanger), having dense fur and a long tail: family Phalangeridae
play possum to pretend to be dead, ignorant, asleep, etc, in order to deceive an opponent
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Idioms and Phrases with possum
possum
see play possum.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.