Illustration of opossum
- opossum 1
plural opossums also opossum
1
: any of a family (Didelphidae) of small- to medium-sized American marsupials that usually have a pointed snout and nearly hairless scaly prehensile tail, are typically active at night, and are sometimes hunted for their fur or meat
especially
: a common omnivorous largely nocturnal mammal (Didelphis virginiana) of North and Central America that is a skilled climber, that typically has a white face and grayish body and in the female a well-developed fur-lined pouch, and that when threatened may feign death by curling up the body and remaining motionless and unresponsive
2
Examples of opossum in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Since then, the virus has infected a range of mammal species across the country, including mountain lions, black bears, polar bears, bottlenose dolphins, harbor seals, coyotes, red foxes, minks, otters, squirrels, raccoons and opossums.
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Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2024
Other examples of death feigning critters include hognose snakes, the Virginia opossums, and brown widow spiders.
—Harri Weber, Popular Science, 8 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for opossum 
Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2024
Other examples of death feigning critters include hognose snakes, the Virginia opossums, and brown widow spiders.
—Harri Weber, Popular Science, 8 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for opossum
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“Opossum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opossum. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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opossum
noun
opos·sum
(ə-)ˈpäs-əm 
plural opossums also opossum
: a common marsupial mammal mostly of the eastern U.S. that usually is active at night, has a tail that can wrap around and grasp objects (as tree branches), and is an expert climber
Etymology
from apossoun, opassom, a word in an Algonquian language of Virginia meaning, literally, "white dog"
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