CuO nanorods supported Pd nanoparticles (CuO-Pd) are fabricated as highly active electrocatalysts. The current density for CuO-Pd is ca. 3.7 times than that of CuO and ca. 129.3 times of Cu(OH)(2)-Pd precursor towards glucose detection. Moreover, the CuO-Pd nanorods also display low detection limit, high sensitivity, wide linear range, fast response, high stability and anti-interference performance for glucose detection. The excellent electrocatalytic performance of CuO-Pd nanorods might be ascribed to the synergistic effect of CuO and noble metal Pd, which is promising for applications as nonenzymatic glucose sensors.