sugar

1 of 2

noun

sug·​ar ˈshu̇-gər How to pronounce sugar (audio)
1
a
: a sweet crystallizable material that consists wholly or essentially of sucrose, is colorless or white when pure tending to brown when less refined, is obtained commercially from sugarcane or sugar beet and less extensively from sorghum, maples, and palms, and is important as a source of dietary carbohydrate and as a sweetener and preservative of other foods
b
: any of various water-soluble compounds that vary widely in sweetness, include the monosaccharides and oligosaccharides, and typically are optically active
2
: a unit (such as a spoonful, cube, or lump) of sugar
3
: a sugar bowl
sugarless adjective

sugar

2 of 2

verb

sugared; sugaring ˈshu̇-g(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce sugar (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to make palatable or attractive : sweeten
a story sugared with romance
2
: to sprinkle or mix with sugar

intransitive verb

1
: to form or be converted into sugar
2
: to become granular
3
: to make maple syrup or maple sugar

Examples of sugar in a Sentence

Noun Would you pass the sugar, please? Do you take sugar in your coffee? Coffee with two sugars and milk, please. Verb The clean fruit is then dried and sugared. They've been sugaring since they were children.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Meanwhile, repeat process in Steps 5 and 6 with remaining dough log and green sanding sugar. Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2024 Green tea ice cream is a sneaky triple threat: caffeine, sugar and L-theanine. Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
Agnes is bad at sugaring and — spoiler — doesn’t get better. Donna Edwards, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Jan. 2024 Saleh didn’t sugar coat it: Tippmann needs to be better. Zack Rosenblatt, The Athletic, 29 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for sugar 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sugre, sucre, from Anglo-French sucre, from Medieval Latin zuccarum, from Old Italian zucchero, from Arabic sukkar, from Persian shakar, ultimately from Sanskrit śarkarā; akin to Sanskrit śarkara pebble — more at crocodile

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sugar was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near sugar

Cite this Entry

“Sugar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sugar. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

sugar

1 of 2 noun
sug·​ar ˈshu̇g-ər How to pronounce sugar (audio)
1
: a sweet substance that is made up wholly or mostly of sucrose, is colorless or white when pure, is obtained from plants (as sugarcane or sugar beets), is a source of dietary carbohydrate, and is used as a sweetener and preservative of other foods
2
: any of various water-soluble compounds that vary widely in sweetness and make up the simpler carbohydrates

sugar

2 of 2 verb
sugared; sugaring ˈshu̇g-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce sugar (audio)
1
: to make something less hard to take or put up with
sugar advice with praise
2
: to sprinkle or mix with sugar
3
: to change to crystals of sugar
candy sugars when cooked too long
4
: to make maple syrup or maple sugar

Medical Definition

sugar

noun
sug·​ar ˈshu̇g-ər How to pronounce sugar (audio)
1
: a sweet crystallizable substance that consists chiefly of sucrose, is colorless or white when pure and tending to brown when less refined, is obtained commercially from sugarcane or sugar beet and less extensively from sorghum, maples, and palms, and is important as a source of dietary carbohydrate and as a sweetener and preservative for other foods and for drugs and in the chemical industry as an intermediate
2
: any of various water-soluble compounds that vary widely in sweetness and comprise the oligosaccharides including sucrose

More from Merriam-Webster on sugar

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