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
Those who didn’t panic played possum.
—Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
Dashcam video shows a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper navigating around a protester in Memphis, Tennessee, who appeared to play possum in front of a patrol car, leading the agency to swat down viral claims the man was actually hit.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026
According to Veterinary Care at Your Fingertips, possums are typically peaceful and prefer to avoid conflict.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Cats had previously been excluded from the list, which includes species such as stoats, ferrets, weasels, rats and possums, but Potaka used the interview to announce a U-turn.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 24 Nov. 2025
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Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
Dashcam video shows a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper navigating around a protester in Memphis, Tennessee, who appeared to play possum in front of a patrol car, leading the agency to swat down viral claims the man was actually hit.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026
According to Veterinary Care at Your Fingertips, possums are typically peaceful and prefer to avoid conflict.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Cats had previously been excluded from the list, which includes species such as stoats, ferrets, weasels, rats and possums, but Potaka used the interview to announce a U-turn.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for possum
Cite this Entry
“Possum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/possum. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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