kangaroo

noun

kan·​ga·​roo ˌkaŋ-gə-ˈrü 

plural kangaroos

: any of various herbivorous leaping marsupial mammals (family Macropodidae) of Australia, New Guinea, and adjacent islands with a small head, large ears, long powerful hind legs, a long thick tail used as a support and in balancing, and rather small forelegs not used in locomotion

Illustration of kangaroo

Examples of kangaroo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At Cedar Creek Park, there will be a variety of family-friendly entertainment that includes bounce houses, a live mermaid, baby kangaroos, bumper boats and a petting zoo. —Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Other highlights include a lagoon where kids can splash and cool off, a zipline, train rides, and the chance to feed animals like giraffes and kangaroos. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025

These animals are tiny cousins of the kangaroo. —Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2025

In addition to side pockets, this overall set has a kangaroo pocket in front, so there’s plenty of room to store other summer essentials, like SPF lip balm, in addition to basics like a phone and a debit card. —Terri Peters, Parents, 26 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Guugu Yimidhirr (Australian aboriginal language of northern Queensland) gaŋurru

First Known Use

1770, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing kangaroo

• kangaroo court
• kangaroo rat
• red kangaroo

Rhymes for kangaroo

• amadou
• avenue
• ballyhoo
• baraboo
• barbecue
• barbeque
• bugaboo
• cabildo
• caribou
• cockatoo
• detinue
• devalue

Kids Definition

kangaroo

noun

kan·​ga·​roo ˌkaŋ-gə-ˈrü 

plural kangaroos

: any of numerous leaping marsupial mammals of Australia, New Guinea, and adjacent islands that feed on plants and have a small head, long powerful hind legs, a long thick tail used as a support in standing or walking, and in the female a pouch on the abdomen in which the young are carried