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.

Origin of possum

1605–15, Americanism; short for opossum

Words nearby possum

possibly, possibly extinct, possibly extinct in the wild, possie, POSSLQ, possum, possum haw, possy, post, postadrenalectomy syndrome, postage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use possum in a sentence

He also started keeping bees and raising chickens, and soon raccoons and possums discovered the chickens and Peter began running outside in his underwear in the middle of the night when he heard the chickens scream.
The Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Can Imagine. Here’s What Happens If You Try.|by Elizabeth Weil|January 25, 2021|ProPublica
Witnesses at the time claimed that five police cars were sitting in the parking lot, but three left when they saw the dead possums.
Portland police threw dead possums at her family’s restaurant in 1981. Now she’s running for mayor.|Monica Rodman|October 30, 2020|Washington Post
I think it’s interesting that people at the time thought the possum incident would be forgotten in a few weeks.
Portland police threw dead possums at her family’s restaurant in 1981. Now she’s running for mayor.|Monica Rodman|October 30, 2020|Washington Post
Regardless of the election results, Raiford says, she’ll continue her activism, buoyed by incidents like the possums at Burger Barn and her nephew’s death.
Portland police threw dead possums at her family’s restaurant in 1981. Now she’s running for mayor.|Monica Rodman|October 30, 2020|Washington Post

Two hours east of Dallas, sun-drenched granite cliffs loom high above the cloudy waters of Possum Kingdom Lake.
The World Series of Cliff Diving Takes Itself Very Seriously|Hampton Stevens|June 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was also called “Possum,” because he looked like one, especially when he grinned.
George Jones Would Break Your Heart Every Time|Malcolm Jones|April 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Congress has been a dull place since he and his possum-shaped wig left for federal prison.
The Case for Pardons|Tucker Carlson|December 1, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Why not, he asked himself, "play possum" with the man and the dog, and pretend to be badly hurt and unconscious?
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
It's more of a coma, something like the hibernation of a bear or a possum.
Islands of Space|John W Campbell
Bruno, satis admirari non possum quid agas vt tot pecunias consumas.
The Age of Erasmus|P. S. Allen
Davey slept peacefully on the bed among the grey 'possum furs she had wrapped round him.
The Pioneers|Katharine Susannah Prichard
"Showing him the ring-tail 'possum's nest in the tree at the back of the cow-yard," she said eagerly.
The Pioneers|Katharine Susannah Prichard

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with possum

possum

see play possum.

possum

Idioms about possum

Origin of possum

Words nearby possum

Words related to possum

How to use possum in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for possum

Other Idioms and Phrases with possum