raccoon

noun rac·coon \ ra-ˈkün also rə- \

variants: or less commonly racoon

Definition of raccoon

plural raccoon or raccoons also racoon or racoons

1 a :a small nocturnal carnivore (Procyon lotor) of North America that is chiefly gray, has a black mask and bushy ringed tail, lives chiefly in trees, and has a varied diet including small animals, fruits, and nuts

b :the pelt of this animal

2 :any of several animals resembling or related to the raccoon

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Recent Examples of raccoon from the Web

Others scavenged, like raccoons, or dug into insect nests like today’s aardvarks.

— carl zimmer, The Seattle Times, "In the Age of Dinosaurs, mammals took to the skies," 11 Aug. 2017
There have been 112 animals diagnosed with rabies in Maryland so far this year, including raccoons, bats, foxes, and four other groundhogs.

— andrea k. mcdaniels, baltimoresun.com, "Rabid groundhog found at The Maryland Zoo," 13 July 2017
Wildlife BuzzFeed Says: Alligators, nutrias, wild hogs, snakes, raccoons, bats, and anything else that roams the backwoods.

— travis m. andrews, Southern Living, "22 Reasons BuzzFeed Should Spend More Time in the South," 11 July 2017
The land to this day remains virtually inaccessible except for its inhabitants - raccoons, opossums, foxes and the like.

— kim chatelain, NOLA.com, "Hippie paradise: The struggle to save Mandeville cypress forest," 7 July 2017
The raccoon and fox are unable to be returned to the wild, Jessica Reedy said.

— sheryl devore, Lake County News-Sun, "Couple on mission to rescue and teach respect for wild, exotic creatures," 2 July 2017
A raccoon in Lincoln County tested positive for rabies this week, marking the third time an animal in the county has had the disease this year, according to Lincoln County Animal Services.

— lavendrick smith, charlotteobserver, "NC county confirms third rabies case of the year," 30 June 2017
This is a lot to ask of a show whose highlights include a contestant confiding in a raccoon.

— ali barthwell, The Cut, "Will You Watch Bachelor in Paradise This Season?," 23 June 2017
In 2014, Marvel turned Guardians of the Galaxy, an obscure comic featuring aliens, a talking raccoon and a monosyllabic tree, into a massive hit.

— eliana dockterman, Time, "How the Venom Spinoff Could Change the Spider-Man Universe," 21 June 2017

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

Illustration of raccoon

Origin and Etymology of raccoon

Virginia Algonquian raugroughcun, arocoun

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1608

See Words from the same year

Other Mammals Terms

dormouse, dugong, gibbon, grimalkin, sable, stoat, ungulate, vole

RACCOON Defined for English Language Learners

raccoon

noun

Definition of raccoon for English Language Learners

: a small North American animal with grayish-brown fur that has black fur around its eyes and black rings around its tail
: the fur of a raccoon

RACCOON Defined for Kids

raccoon

noun rac·coon \ ra-ˈkün \

Definition of raccoon for Students

:a small North American animal that is mostly gray with black around the eyes, has a bushy tail with black rings, is active mostly at night, and eats small animals, fruits, eggs, and insects

History for raccoon

Like hickory, moccasin, and tomahawk, the word raccoon comes from an American Indian language that was spoken around the Jamestown settlement in Virginia. The English colonist John Smith—famous for having his life spared by Pocahontas—first recorded the name for the unfamiliar animal as aroughcun, rarowcun, and raugroughcun.

Learn More about raccoon

See words that rhyme with raccoon Spanish Central: Translation of raccoon Nglish: Translation of raccoon for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about raccoon

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