possum

noun

pos·​sum ˈpä-səm 

1

: opossum sense 1

Well into the twentieth century in the rural South, a possum hunt remained a favorite cold-weather sport …

—Evan Jones

2

: any of various small to medium-sized, nocturnal, chiefly arboreal marsupial mammals (especially families Phalangeridae, Pseudocheiridae, and Petauridae) of Australia and New Guinea that have thick, soft fur, a prehensile tail, and a rounded head with protruding eyes and that are mainly herbivorous

A member of Australia's rich endemic possum population, it is named for its lemur-like eyes.

—Jo Chandler

Note: Possums have a head and body ranging in length from 12 1/2 to 25 1/2 inches (320 to 655 mm) with a tail nearly as long.

see cuscus, phalanger

Examples of possum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The baby possum stretched across the dog's back and held onto dear life as the dog moved back and forth. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024

Nature is, of course, always weeding out individuals whose behavior isn’t well-calibrated — the nocturnal possum that comes out an hour early and exposes itself to predators, for example. —Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 30 Sep. 2024

Meanwhile, Andrew was working behind the scenes to popularize the possum in his own way. —Howard Dorre, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Mar. 2025

And with many fewer moths, the pygmy possum's future is even bleaker. —Ari Daniel, NPR, 12 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing possum

• play possum

Rhymes for possum

• awesome
• blossom
• lysosome
• opossum
• odontoglossum

Kids Definition

possum

noun

pos·​sum ˈpäs-əm 

: opossum