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

Roo, in the books, was a small brown kangaroo and son of Kanga. —Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026

Roo, in the books, was a small brown kangaroo and the son of Kanga. —Philip Marcelo, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026

The kangaroo then hops across the highway — narrowly avoiding oncoming traffic — and stands still in the middle of the road before hopping further down the highway. —Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026

Screenwriter Jeremy Robbins sets up what appears to be a potential threat in a creepy kangaroo hunter (Matt Whelan) and his drunken mate (Rob Carlton), whose names alone, Diesel and Ripper, carry a hint of menace. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026

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