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

In a move reminiscent of China's diplomatic gesture in 1972, when the government allowed a pair of pandas to visit the National Zoo, Saudi Arabia will send two Arabian leopards to D.C. as part of a conservation program. —Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 6 June 2025

In the 1950s and 1960s, American zoos were denied permission by the U.S. government to import pandas from China. —John M. Kinder, The Conversation, 1 May 2025

The peaceful scene of pandas resting in a meadow is quickly disturbed by Jack Black, Jason Momoa, and Sebastian Hansen hurtling to the ground at full speed with a bucket of video-game accurate water, and from there, all kinds of madness ensues. —Billie Melissa, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025

After 443 days, Washington, D.C.’s panda drought has finally come to an end. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Jan. 2025

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

Rhymes for panda

• banda
• ganda
• vanda
• aranda
• miranda
• veranda
• verandah
• jacaranda
• memoranda
• propaganda

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