raccoon
a nocturnal omnivore, Procyon lotor, the largest member of the family Procyonidae, having a masklike black stripe across the eyes, a sharp snout, a bushy, ringed tail, and very dexterous front paws, native to North and Central America and introduced elsewhere for its valuable fur: more than 20 subspecies have been named.
the thick, brownish-gray fur of this animal, with gray, black-tipped guard hairs.
any of various related animals of the genus Procyon, of Central American islands, some now rare.
Compare Meanings
Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.
Origin of raccoon
1- Also ra·coon .
Words Nearby raccoon
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use raccoon in a sentence
For instance, between 1990 and 2011, some 67,058 raccoons were found with the raccoon variant.
Crossovers to other species by the raccoon variant “was unexpectedly high,” they reported.
Predators like foxes, raccoons, skunks, feral cats, hawks, and owls all feed on them.
As an apex predator — one at the top of the “food chain” — it feeds on deer, raccoons, rabbits and rodents.
Wild red wolves hanging on but more cooperation needed to save the species | Ann Cameron Siegal | January 26, 2021 | Washington PostScientists have successfully used baited vaccines to manage rabies in foxes in Western Europe and raccoons in the United States.
Can Vaccines for Wildlife Prevent Human Pandemics? | Rodrigo Pérez Ortega | August 24, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
British Dictionary definitions for raccoon
racoon
/ (rəˈkuːn) /
any omnivorous mammal of the genus Procyon, esp P. lotor (North American raccoon), inhabiting forests of North and Central America and the Caribbean: family Procyonidae, order Carnivora (carnivores). Raccoons have a pointed muzzle, long tail, and greyish-black fur with black bands around the tail and across the face
the fur of the North American raccoon
Origin of raccoon
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse