bandicoot

noun

ban·​di·​coot ˈban-di-ˌküt 

1

: any of several very large rats (genera Bandicota and Nesokia) of southern Asia destructive to crops

2

: any of various small chiefly insectivorous and herbivorous marsupial mammals (family Peramelidae or family Peroryctidae) of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea

Illustration of bandicoot

• bandicoot 2

Examples of bandicoot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the study, the thylacine’s prey likely included animals like bandicoots and rabbit-sized marsupials, per CNN. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2026

As the foxes died, the ticks that had fed on them found another primary host—the shrewlike native bandicoot, which Australians had worked hard to reëstablish. — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

Today, through Odonata’s breeding programs and sanctuary network, there are over 4,000 bandicoots. — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 21 Mar. 2026

Traditionally, mammalian biofluorescence, such as glowing fur in bare-nosed wombats and bandicoots, has been studied as a property of the animal itself. — Anirban Mukhopadhyay, Scientific American, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Telugu pandikokku

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bandicoot

• rabbit-eared bandicoot

Rhymes for bandicoot

• absolute
• arrowroot
• attribute
• bitterroot
• constitute
• convolute
• destitute
• disrepute
• dissolute
• execute
• institute
• involute

Kids Definition

bandicoot

noun

ban·​di·​coot ˈban-di-ˌküt 

: any of various small insect-eating and plant-eating marsupial mammals especially of Australia