1
: opossum sense 1
Well into the twentieth century in the rural South, a possum hunt remained a favorite cold-weather sport …—
Evan Jones
Evan Jones2
: 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
Jo ChandlerNote: 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 cuscus, phalangerExamples of possum in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Leadbeater’s possum is a small, elusive, tree-dwelling marsupial.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2025
After their introduction in the mid-1800s in an attempt to establish a fur trade, possums have spiraled out of control, taking up habitat and spreading disease to the creatures that call Aotearoa, or New Zealand, home.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 4 June 2025
Cross eastward into the Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi and New Guinea, and the faunal landscape shifts to Australian species—marsupials, such as tree possums climb through forests, cockatoos and lorikeets speckle the skies and egg-laying mammals like echidnas make an appearance.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
The biggest fact nobody knows about possums is that, back in 2016 possums were dropped by their agent and publicist.
—Steve MacOne, The New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2024
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Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2025
After their introduction in the mid-1800s in an attempt to establish a fur trade, possums have spiraled out of control, taking up habitat and spreading disease to the creatures that call Aotearoa, or New Zealand, home.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 4 June 2025
Cross eastward into the Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi and New Guinea, and the faunal landscape shifts to Australian species—marsupials, such as tree possums climb through forests, cockatoos and lorikeets speckle the skies and egg-laying mammals like echidnas make an appearance.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
The biggest fact nobody knows about possums is that, back in 2016 possums were dropped by their agent and publicist.
—Steve MacOne, The New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for possum
Cite this Entry
“Possum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/possum. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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