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

However, unlike Australia’s marsupial megafauna, such as Diprotodon and the short-faced kangaroo, which vanished due to shifting climates and ecological pressures, there was no direct evidence linking the mountain pygmy possum to the same extinction timeline or causes. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Hot-air balloon rides are popular during this season to get an aerial view of the colorful landscape (look for koalas and kangaroos). —Hillary Richard, AFAR Media, 24 Mar. 2025

The winner was a kangaroo called Mr. Zip with boxing gloves and a zipper. —John Raby, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025

The oversized hoodie is comfy without feeling restrictive, and the spacious kangaroo pouch at the front is the ideal place to store in-flight snacks as well as your phone. —Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 14 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