panda

noun

pan·​da ˈpan-də 

1

: red panda

2

: a large black-and-white mammal (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) of chiefly central China that feeds primarily on bamboo shoots and is now usually classified with the bears (family Ursidae)

called also giant panda

Illustration of panda

• A red panda
• B panda 2

Examples of panda in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Smithsonian also welcomed new pandas to the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, hosted its annual Folklife Festival and helped celebrate 25 years of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. —Kayla Randall, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Dec. 2024

The National Zoo’s new pandas enjoyed the first snowflakes of the year. —Cate Martel, The Hill, 25 Nov. 2024

Peels back the layers of sentimentality surrounding panda conservation, revealing the unsettling realities that hinder its primary objective: protecting the species from human ambitions. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2024

The zoo’s unveiling of its panda camera came on the same day that two giant pandas arrived at the National Zoo under a panda loan agreement with Chinese wildlife officials. —Karen Kucher, The Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, perhaps from a language of the southeast Himalayas

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing panda

• giant panda
• lesser panda
• panda car
• red panda

Kids Definition

panda

noun

pan·​da ˈpan-də 

1

: red panda

2

: a large black and white mammal of chiefly central China that feeds primarily on bamboo shoots and is now usually considered to be closely related to the bears

called also giant panda