bandicoot UK /ˈbændɪˌkuːt/US /ˈbændiˌkut/noun 2verb 1forms 3 noun2 •Any of various small marsupials of Australia and New Guinea, some with distinctive long snouts, of the family Peramelidae.At the rustle of a bandicoot we noticed the upraised gleam of eyes around the fires. — 1937 •A bandicoot rat; any of the genera Bandicota and Nesokia of rat-like rodents of southeast Asia. verb1 •(Australia, informal) To steal growing root vegetables from a garden by digging the vegetable out but leaving the tops undisturbed.‘Well, the abos ‘bandicooted’ his peanuts.’ — 1937 formsbandicooted · bandicooting · bandicoots