raccoon dog

noun

Definition of raccoon dog

: a small omnivorous canid (Nyctereutes procyonoides) of eastern Asia having a long yellowish-brown coat and facial markings resembling that of a raccoon — called also tanuki

Recent Examples of raccoon dog from the Web

The artwork features a snoozing raccoon dog, who wakes up out of his slumber and accidentally falls off an icy cliff, which suddenly turns into a luge course.

— wandera hussein, Billboard, "Google Doodles Slides Into Luge Competition for Doodle Snow Games Day 5," 13 Feb. 2018
The miniature houses with front stoops guarded by potted plants and tanuki (raccoon dog) figurines had a stillness about them.

— adam h. graham, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Ise-Shima Peninsula Is a Portal Into Old Japan," 2 June 2017
Or raccoon dogs, animals that look like raccoons but are actually wild members of the canid family, like foxes and wolves, and can spread diseases and become too difficult to handle.

— National Geographic, "Why You Shouldn't Share That Cute Lemur Video," 26 Apr. 2016
Tree kangaroos show countershading, Holtz says, and the forest-dwelling raccoon dogs wear color patterns much like Sinosauropteryx.

— brian switek, Smithsonian, "This Adorable Bandit-Faced Dinosaur Will Steal Your Heart," 26 Oct. 2017
The Alliance prohibits the use of coyote, mink, rabbit, fox, karakul, raccoon dog, and any other species bred specifically for their fur.

— leah silverman, Town & Country, "Gucci Commits to Fur-Free Fashion in Their Future," 12 Oct. 2017
Camera traps captured images of a bison, 21 boars, nine badgers, 26 gray wolves, 60 raccoon dogs (an Asian species also called a tanuki), and 10 red foxes.

— National Geographic, "Animals Rule Chernobyl Three Decades After Nuclear Disaster," 18 Apr. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'raccoon dog.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.