: a small nocturnal carnivore (Procyon lotor) of North America that is chiefly gray, has a black mask and bushy ringed tail, lives chiefly in trees, and has a varied diet including small animals, fruits, and nuts
b
: the pelt of this animal
2
: any of several animals resembling or related to the raccoon
Illustration of raccoon
raccoon 1a
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Unlike some wildlife species, raccoons (Procyon lotor) thrive even in urban areas.—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 7 May 2025 How is Chewy the raccoon? Chewy the raccoon was unharmed, and police determined that Vidal did have the proper documentation needed to own the raccoon.—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 7 May 2025 Rivera squeezed detergent from two laundry pods onto the raccoon’s head, police said.—Don Sweeney, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025 We most commonly associate animals like bats, raccoons and skunks or foxes with being carriers.—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for raccoon
: a small North American mammal that is mostly gray with a black mask, has a bushy ringed tail, lives chiefly in trees and is active at night, and eats a varied diet including small animals, fruits, eggs, and insects
also: the pelt of a raccoon
Etymology
Virginia Algonquian raugroughcoon, arocoun "racoon"
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