play possum
English · Thesaurus
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play possum
Where it comes from
From play + possum, from the behavior of the Virginia opossum, which feigns death when threatened. First use appears c. 1807.
verb plays possum · playing possum · played possum
- To feign death; to remain quiet and still to escape attention or remain undetected; to lie low. Thinking fast, we played possum, hoping the bear wouldn't bother us.
- To feign sleep, illness, etc. When we used to get home late at night, I would play possum so my daddy would carry me inside and put me in bed.
- To dissemble or to feign ignorance; to disguise or conceal something in order to deceive. Though, as it afterwards turned out, the Yankee had money enough about him, and was merely playing the ’possum all the while.
Similar: act possum, possum
Thesaurus
verb
Similar: act possum, possum
Translations
Every language
verb to pretend to be dead; lie low
| Español | hacerse el muerto |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 죽은 척 하다 jugeun cheok hada |
| Português | fingir-se de morto, fazer-se de morto |
| Français | faire le mort |
| Deutsch | sich tot stellen |
| Italiano | fingersi morto |
| Ελληνικά | κάνω τον ψόφιο κοριό káno ton psófio korió |
Talk about this word "play possum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/play%20possum. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. play possum. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/play%20possum "play possum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/play%20possum.Cite this
@misc{play_possum_2026,
title = {play possum},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/play%20possum},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
