Kangaroo Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Compare Meaning

Examples

Synonyms kangaroo American [kang-guh-roo] / ˌkæŋ gəˈru /

noun

plural

kangaroos,

plural

kangaroo

1. any herbivorous marsupial of the family Macropodidae, of Australia and adjacent islands, having a small head, short forelimbs, powerful hind legs used for leaping, and a long, thick tail: several species are threatened or endangered.

kangaroo British / ˌkæŋɡəˈruː /

noun

1. any large herbivorous marsupial of the genus Macropus and related genera, of Australia and New Guinea, having large powerful hind legs, used for leaping, and a long thick tail: family Macropodidae See also rat kangaroo tree kangaroo

2. (usually plural) stock exchange an Australian share, esp in mining, land, or a tobacco company

"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

verb

1. informal (of a car) to move forward or to cause (a car) to move forward with short sudden jerks, as a result of improper use of the clutch

"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 Word Forms

• kangaroo-like adjective
• kangaroolike adjective

Etymology

Origin of kangaroo

First recorded in 1760–70; from Guugu Yimidhirr (an Australian Aboriginal language spoken around Cooktown, northern Queensland) gaŋ-urru, a large black or gray species of kangaroo

Compare meaning

How does kangaroo compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• wallaby vs. kangaroo

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.

The head and raised arms of a doll stick out of the left side of the hoodie’s kangaroo pocket.

From The Wall Street Journal

He had shorter arms, like a kangaroo, but not as tiny as a T. rex.

From Literature

"I hate losing, so that's my motivation," said Alcaraz, who plans to have a tattoo of a kangaroo to mark his achievement.

From Barron's

Australian Jay Vine won the Tour Down Under - despite being knocked off his bike in a crash caused by a kangaroo.

From BBC

New research suggests that the giant ancestors of modern kangaroos may not have been as limited in their movement as once believed.

From Science Daily

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.