panda

American  

[pan-duh] / ˈpæn də /

noun

1. Also called giant panda.  a white-and-black, bearlike mammal, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, now rare and restricted to forest areas of central China containing stands of bamboo, on which it mainly subsists: formerly placed with the raccoon family but now classified as a bear subfamily, Ailuropodinae, or as the sole member of a separate family, Ailuropodidae, which diverged from an ancestral bear lineage.

2. Also called lesser panda.  a reddish-brown, raccoonlike mammal, Ailurus fulgens, of mountain forests in the Himalayas and adjacent eastern Asia, subsisting mainly on bamboo and other vegetation, fruits, and insects, and reduced in numbers by collectors: now considered unrelated to the giant panda and usually classified as the sole member of an Old World raccoon subfamily, Ailurinae, which diverged from an ancestral lineage that also gave rise to the New World raccoons.

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panda British  

/ ˈpændə /

noun

1. Also called: giant panda.  a large black-and-white herbivorous bearlike mammal, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, related to the raccoons and inhabiting the high mountain bamboo forests of China: family Procyonidae

2. a closely related smaller animal resembling a raccoon, Ailurus fulgens, of the mountain forests of S Asia, having a reddish-brown coat and ringed tail

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Etymology

Origin of panda

1825–35; < French (Cuvier), a name for the lesser panda, perhaps < a Tibeto-Burman language of the southeastern Himalayas

Explanation

A panda is a black and white bear that's native to China. You can't miss the giant pandas in the zoo, with those distinctive black rings around their eyes. For years experts debated about whether pandas were bears, a type of raccoon, or their own separate species. The latest DNA research has scientists mostly convinced that pandas are indeed bears. These big mammals have a reputation for being lazy, but they spend almost 20 hours a day eating, and they don't hibernate like many bears. Wild pandas are endangered, but there are about 400 captive pandas being carefully bred and protected.

Example Sentences

The first original movies Pixar made under Docter included “Luca,” about a shy Italian boy who’s secretly a sea creature, and “Turning Red,” about a Chinese-Canadian girl who transforms into a giant panda during puberty.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

Loaned out as part of China's "panda diplomacy" programme, the distinctive black-and-white animals have symbolised friendship between Beijing and Tokyo since the normalisation of diplomatic ties in 1972.

From Barron's • Jan. 25, 2026

However, the prospects of a new panda loan to Japan have remained uncertain amid the escalating row.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026

Based on their estimates, the researchers believe Salwasiren weighed around 250 pounds, similar to the weight of an adult panda or a heavyweight boxer.

From Science Daily • Dec. 12, 2025

I sink into my pillow, curling up and pulling my panda closer.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott