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

And all of the young kangaroos (the joeys) were in fact real creatures rather than CGI. —Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 4 Dec. 2025

Its large kangaroo pocket—in tandem with the jogger pants’ two deep side pockets—provides plenty of storage for your most important in-flight essentials. —Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 4 Dec. 2025

The kangaroo pocket is also so helpful for moms who need extra storage and easy access to essentials. —Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025

The design features palm trees and cute kangaroos. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025

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