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

The clip ends with the camera zooming into the kangaroo's face, sparking questions. —Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025

By age 4 or 5, kangaroos can grow taller than most men and weigh 200 pounds (90 kilograms). —Mead Gruver, Denver Post, 21 May 2025

Its Facebook page advertises access to goats, capybaras, a zebra and a camel, in addition to the kangaroo. —Doha Madani, NBC news, 11 May 2025

Previous coverage: Escaped kangaroo captured after 3-week search in Volusia County; owner faces citations Mitchell has 90 days to pay his fines and present proof of the donation. —Brenno Carillo, USA Today, 27 Mar. 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