kangaroo

[ kang-guh-roo ]

/ ˌkæŋ gəˈru /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: kangaroo / kangaroos on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural kan·ga·roos, (especially collectively) kan·ga·roo.

any herbivorous marsupial of the family Macropodidae, of Australia and adjacent islands, having a small head, short forelimbs, powerful hind legs used for leaping, and a long, thick tail: several species are threatened or endangered.

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of kangaroo

First recorded in 1760–70; from Guugu Yimidhirr (an Australian Aboriginal language spoken around Cooktown, northern Queensland) gaŋ-urru, a large black or gray species of kangaroo

OTHER WORDS FROM kangaroo

kan·ga·roo·like, adjective

Words nearby kangaroo

Kandy, Kaneohe, kang, kanga, kanga pirau, kangaroo, kangaroo care, kangaroo closure, kangaroo court, kangaroo dog, kangaroo grass

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use kangaroo in a sentence

One such cluster of Australian megafauna extinctions, including the demise of Diprotodon and the giant kangaroo Procoptodon goliah, occurred around 42,000 years ago.
A magnetic field reversal 42,000 years ago may have contributed to mass extinctions|Carolyn Gramling|February 18, 2021|Science News
Say you want to teach an AI to identify dogs, cats, and kangaroos.
How Future AI Could Recognize a Kangaroo Without Ever Having Seen One|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|October 22, 2020|Singularity Hub
Go to the Australian grasslands and there’ll be kangaroos but no cats or dogs.
How Future AI Could Recognize a Kangaroo Without Ever Having Seen One|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|October 22, 2020|Singularity Hub
Tell an AI a kangaroo is some fraction cat and some fraction dog—both of which it’s seen and knows well—and it’ll be able to identify a kangaroo without ever having seen one.
How Future AI Could Recognize a Kangaroo Without Ever Having Seen One|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|October 22, 2020|Singularity Hub

The kangaroo pocket keeps my hands warm on neighborhood walks, and the stretchy polyester outer makes it perfect around camp or in a sleeping bag if I need extra warmth at night.
7 of Our Favorite Men's and Women's Fall Layers|Jakob Schiller|October 3, 2020|Outside Online
And this is not the first time that the kangaroo courts of rural India have made such appalling judgments.
How India’s Elites Encourage Rape|Neha Sharma|July 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Capital Cities, "Kangaroo Court" This song has been around for a few weeks, but this video takes it to a whole new level.
From Katy Perry to Alice in Chains, the Best Music Videos of the Week|Victoria Kezra|September 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It works and he gets the attention of a pretty poodle, but things quickly go awry, leading them all to a literal kangaroo court.
From Katy Perry to Alice in Chains, the Best Music Videos of the Week|Victoria Kezra|September 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Inside one, a giant kangaroo sculpture holds a fireplace in its belly.
Book a Room at Vietnam’s ‘Crazy House’|Nina Strochlic|July 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I felt as if I were in a literary version of kangaroo court.
The Maslin Stain: A Writer Defends Himself Against the NYT Critic|William Stadiem|February 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Kangaroo can hop and hop and hop; Somehow he never seems to want to stop.
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
Nqa is very much surprised, because he has never seen a Kangaroo dance like that before.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
You can see the marks of Kangaroo's big new feet running ever so far back over the bare hills.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
A small kangaroo was seen by Mr. Cunningham feeding upon the grass, but fled the moment that it saw him approaching.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
The traces of a small kangaroo were everywhere abundant but the animals were not seen.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King

British Dictionary definitions for kangaroo

kangaroo

/ (ˌkæŋɡəˈruː) /

noun plural -roos

any large herbivorous marsupial of the genus Macropus and related genera, of Australia and New Guinea, having large powerful hind legs, used for leaping, and a long thick tail: family MacropodidaeSee also rat kangaroo, tree kangaroo

(usually plural) stock exchange an Australian share, esp in mining, land, or a tobacco company

verb -roos, -rooing or -rooed

informal (of a car) to move forward or to cause (a car) to move forward with short sudden jerks, as a result of improper use of the clutch

Derived forms of kangaroo

kangaroo-like, adjective

Word Origin for kangaroo

C18: probably from a native Australian language

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

kangaroo

COMPARE MEANINGS

Origin of kangaroo

OTHER WORDS FROM kangaroo

Words nearby kangaroo

Words related to kangaroo

How to use kangaroo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for kangaroo

Derived forms of kangaroo

Word Origin for kangaroo