racoon

noun

ra·​coon

less common spelling of raccoon

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

Examples of racoon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The scene starts out calm, but when a racoon brushes up against the buck’s front leg, all hell breaks loose. Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 23 Aug. 2023 While waiting, many different people handled the racoon and some even kissed it. Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 27 May 2023 If you were exposed to this racoon, please contact your health provider. Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 27 May 2023 Since late 2022, scientists have detected this virus in more than 100 species of wild birds like ducks, seagulls, geese, hawks and owls in the US, where cases have also been identified among bears, foxes, bobcats, racoons, bears, and dolphins. Philip Wang, CNN, 6 Mar. 2023 Researchers have found that racoon and possum populations have declined in the Everglades precipitously since the snakes arrived. Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2022 What’s valuable for a dog may be irrelevant to a cat or bear or racoon or human. Erica Tennenhouse, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2018 Also, there is a singing racoon. Ellen Gamerman, WSJ, 13 Mar. 2023 Another nascent but promising concept is to put tracking collars on prey such as possums and racoons. Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'racoon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“Racoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racoon. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

racoon

variant of raccoon

More from Merriam-Webster on racoon

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