possum
An opossum; the gray marsupial that raids the trash and plays dead.
Also called opossum.
Updated September 24, 2026
possum pronunciation
/POSS-um/
Meaning
Possum is what rural Southern folks call the Virginia opossum when they are not writing a science paper. Same animal, short name. It shows up in the chicken coop, on the back road at night, and in the phrase play possum, meaning fake dead or act clueless. Schoolbooks like opossum. Porch talk drops the o.
How folks use it
- “There's a possum in the trash again.”
- “Don't trust him; he's just playing possum till the work's done.”
Origin and etymology
From an Algonquian word for the animal, borrowed into English as opossum. Speakers dropped the unstressed first syllable early, and possum stuck hard in the South. Merriam-Webster notes both spellings are fine for the North American marsupial; science writing prefers opossum. Play possum comes from the animal's habit of going limp when threatened, recorded in Southern writing by the early 1800s.
Frequently asked questions
Is a possum different from an opossum?
In the South, no. Possum is the everyday name for the same North American animal. Australian possums are a different critter.