# kangaroo

/ˌkæŋɡɝˈu/ (US) · /kˈæŋɡɐɹˌuː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/kangaroo
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. the animal

noun · CEFR A1

a large Australian animal with a long tail and strong back legs that it uses for jumping.

For teachers: a large marsupial of the family Macropodidae, native to Australia, characterized by powerful hind legs and a long, muscular tail used for balance while hopping.

- The kangaroo carried its baby in its pouch while hopping across the field.
- Ecologists observed the kangaroo population near the watering hole, noting how the animals used their powerful tails to stabilize themselves while grazing.

### 2. a hooded jacket

noun · CEFR B2 · Dialect · American English

a warm jacket with a hood and one large pocket on the front.

For teachers: a hooded sweatshirt or fleece jacket featuring a single large frontal pocket, often referred to as a kangaroo pocket.

- It was getting cold outside, so he pulled on his kangaroo and headed to the park.
- In colder regions, the fleece kangaroo remains a staple of casual attire due to its practical front pocket and heat-retaining hood.

### 3. skin-to-skin childcare

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to hold a small or premature baby against your bare skin to keep them warm and healthy.

For teachers: to practice kangaroo care, a method of holding a premature infant in skin-to-skin contact with a parent to promote physiological stability.

- The nurse showed the new father how to kangaroo his tiny daughter in the hospital.
- Medical staff encouraged the parents to kangaroo their newborn for several hours a day to improve the infant's heart rate and oxygen levels.

Usage: often used as 'to kangaroo' or in the phrase 'kangarooing'

### 4. unstable financial market

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

used to describe a stock market where prices jump up and down very quickly and unpredictably.

For teachers: describing a securities market characterized by rapid, erratic price fluctuations that lack a clear upward or downward trend.

- Investors were nervous because of the kangaroo market, where prices changed every hour.
- The analyst warned that the current kangaroo market was frustrating both bulls and bears, as no consistent trend emerged from the daily volatility.

## Examples

- The kangaroo hops across the field.
- During our trip to the Australian outback, we saw a kangaroo carrying a joey in its pouch.
- While several species of macropods exist across the continent, the red kangaroo is the largest, capable of reaching speeds of over fifty kilometres per hour through its unique hopping gait.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.