wallaby

noun

wal·​la·​by ˈwä-lə-bē 

plural wallabies also wallaby

: any of various small or medium-sized kangaroos (especially genus Notamacropus) compare rock wallaby

Illustration of wallaby

Examples of wallaby in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rex the wallaby is back home safe after spending more than a day on the loose in Gloucester County, New Jersey, thanks in part to a group of local teenagers who helped capture him near a shopping center. —Ross Dimattei, CBS News, 1 Jan. 2026

New Jersey authorities are using drones to search for a runaway wallaby who hopped his way off an animal farm in Gloucester County on Monday night. —Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 31 Dec. 2025

According to Bush Heritage Australia, a nonprofit conservation organization, wallabies are animals endemic to Australia that share many features to kangaroos, but are much smaller. —Mason Leath, ABC News, 31 Dec. 2025

This wallaby would be hoppy to grab it. —Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Dharuk (Australian aboriginal language of the Port Jackson area) walabi, waliba

First Known Use

circa 1798, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing wallaby

• rock wallaby

Kids Definition

wallaby

noun

wal·​la·​by ˈwäl-ə-bē 

plural wallabies also wallaby

: any of various small or medium-sized kangaroos