sugar maple

noun

1

: a maple (Acer saccharum) of eastern North America with 3- to 5-lobed leaves, hard close-grained wood much used for cabinetwork, and sap that is the chief source of maple syrup and maple sugar

called also rock maple, hard maple

2

: any of several maples (especially Acer nigrum and A. grandidentatum) often considered subspecies of the sugar maple

Examples of sugar maple in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For instance, the maple and sugar maple, which produce brilliant yellow and orange colors, are often among the earliest to change color, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. —Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 20 Sep. 2024

Brandywine Falls and the Brandywine Gorge Trail showcase brilliant red sugar maples and rich brown white oaks in mid-October. —Joni Sweet, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024

The trees at higher elevations — including yellow birch and mountain maple — will begin to change as early as mid-September, but the most impressive display comes when the sugar maple, scarlet oak, and hickories, among other tree types, hit peak transformation in October. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2024

The couple have also cut species that are struggling because of global warming, such as spruces and sugar maples. —Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1731, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sugar maple

noun

: a maple tree of eastern North America with hard wood that is much used for cabinetwork and sap that is the chief source of maple syrup and maple sugar