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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
Examples of bandicoot in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While Australia does have an impressive array of particularly charismatic examples — Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, koalas, wombats, wallabies and bandicoots, to name a few — these comprise roughly 70 percent of the world’s population, with the other 30 percent hailing from the Americas.
—
Natasha Frost, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
Now Wild Deserts is using descendants of those few thousand island survivors, called Shark Bay bandicoots, in a new effort to seed a mainland bandicoot revival.
—Abigail Tucker, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2023
In a conservation first, Australia’s eastern barred bandicoot is back from the brink of extinction.
—Lindsey McGinnis, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2021
The small nocturnal marsupial was once common throughout southwest Victoria, but habitat destruction, foxes, and feral cats nearly killed off the bandicoot.
—Lindsey McGinnis, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2021
The bandicoot begins to relax and eventually moves around the enclosure.
—Anthony Ham, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Nov. 2021
Australia’s conservation efforts did see a boost last week when authorities said the bandicoot, a small furry marsupial, had been brought back from the brink of extinction on the country's mainland.
—NBC News, 22 Sep. 2021
Interestingly, bandicoot populations increase where devils are more prominent than cats, says Hamilton.
—Jason Bittel, National Geographic, 5 Oct. 2020
In Crash Bandicoot: On The Run!, video game fans will immediately recognize regions from previous bandicoot games, such as Temple Ruins, Turtle Woods and Bear It.
—Coral Murphy, USA TODAY, 10 July 2020
Natasha Frost, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
Now Wild Deserts is using descendants of those few thousand island survivors, called Shark Bay bandicoots, in a new effort to seed a mainland bandicoot revival.
—Abigail Tucker, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2023
In a conservation first, Australia’s eastern barred bandicoot is back from the brink of extinction.
—Lindsey McGinnis, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2021
The small nocturnal marsupial was once common throughout southwest Victoria, but habitat destruction, foxes, and feral cats nearly killed off the bandicoot.
—Lindsey McGinnis, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2021
The bandicoot begins to relax and eventually moves around the enclosure.
—Anthony Ham, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Nov. 2021
Australia’s conservation efforts did see a boost last week when authorities said the bandicoot, a small furry marsupial, had been brought back from the brink of extinction on the country's mainland.
—NBC News, 22 Sep. 2021
Interestingly, bandicoot populations increase where devils are more prominent than cats, says Hamilton.
—Jason Bittel, National Geographic, 5 Oct. 2020
In Crash Bandicoot: On The Run!, video game fans will immediately recognize regions from previous bandicoot games, such as Temple Ruins, Turtle Woods and Bear It.
—Coral Murphy, USA TODAY, 10 July 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bandicoot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Telugu pandikokku
First Known Use
1793, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing bandicoot
Dictionary Entries Near bandicoot
Cite this Entry
“Bandicoot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bandicoot. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
bandicoot
noun
ban·di·coot
ˈban-di-ˌküt
: any of various small insect-eating and plant-eating marsupial mammals especially of Australia
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