raccoon

noun

rac·​coon ra-ˈkün 

 also  rə-

variants or less commonly racoon

plural raccoon or raccoons also racoon or racoons

1

a

: 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

Examples of raccoon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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

The brightly colored animal creations depict everything from sloths and raccoons to birds, elephants and giraffes. —Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025

Across roughly two months, the cameras collected data — though some fell victim to storm water or thieving raccoons, Ivory said. —Rachel Raposas, People.com, 18 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Virginia Algonquian raugroughcun, arocoun

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing raccoon

• raccoon dog

Rhymes for raccoon

• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• bassoon
• buffoon
• cartoon
• cocoon
• festoon
• gaboon
• harpoon
• immune
• impugn

Kids Definition

raccoon

noun

rac·​coon

variants also racoon

ra-ˈkün

plural raccoon or raccoons also racoon or racoons

: 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"