possum

noun pos·sum \ ˈpä-səm \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Definition of possum

1 : opossum 1

Well into the twentieth century in the rural South, a possum hunt remained a favorite cold-weather sport …
—Evan Jones

2 : any of various small to medium-sized, nocturnal, chiefly arboreal marsupial mammals (especially families Phalangeridae, Pseudocheiridae, and Petauridae) of Australia and New Guinea that have thick, soft fur, a prehensile tail, and a rounded head with protruding eyes and that are mainly herbivorous

A member of Australia's rich endemic possum population, it is named for its lemur-like eyes.
—Jo Chandler

Note: Possums have a head and body ranging in length from 12 1/2 to 25 1/2 inches (320 to 655 mm) with a tail nearly as long.

— see also cuscus, phalanger

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Recent Examples of possum from the Web

Freezing, like a possum, playing dead in hopes that the predator loses interest and goes away. Appeasing, like a dog rolling on its back for a more aggressive dog, in hopes that its show of submission will quell aggression.

— marissa korbel, Harper's BAZAAR, "Sometimes You Make Your Rapist Breakfast," 25 Apr. 2018
Kiraly said there has been staff research on what other communities have done in terms of creating rules on the feeding of animals such as coyotes, possums, raccoons, squirrels.

— daniel i. dorfman, chicagotribune.com, "Coyote sightings may be due to late snow, Glencoe officials say," 24 Apr. 2018
Rick Bragg writes like Rick Bragg, and his is a world of skillets and moonshine, possums and hogs, full of tornadoes and hardworking men who tell tales and drink and treasure a silent moment leaning against a tree.

— max watman, WSJ, "Southern food and Southern Charm," 11 Apr. 2018
We were taken by 4WD off the main track to some of the best locations for spotting possums, wombats and marsupials that are usually too shy to surface.

— catherine ridha, Harper's BAZAAR, "This Remote Valley is Australia's Best Kept Secret," 21 Mar. 2018
Messages were left, Scriptures were written on bags of chips, toilets were placed in driveways, and a rotting possum was left on one grill.

— kevin litten, NOLA.com, "Bystanders foil Algiers robbery, attempted stabbing," 21 Jan. 2018
From the chicken-nesting box decorating her living room wall to the possum belly farm table that's used as a kitchen island, old farm and industrial pieces fill Tiffany Marimberga's home in Strongsville.

— roxanne washington, cleveland.com, "Cool Spaces: Strongsville home filled with old farm and industrial wares (photos, video)," 11 Jan. 2018
But people have tried to fly with everything from turkeys, to snakes, spiders and even gliding possums, which are also known as sugar gliders.

— CBS News, "Delta imposes new rules for service dogs after "serious incidents"," 19 Jan. 2018
The one after that showed a possum plodding into and through some hedges.

— ryan bradley, New York Times, "Letter of Recommendation: Bushnell Trophy Cam," 18 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'possum.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.