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 The whiskey was charcoal mellowed before entering barrels, aka the Lincoln County process during which the new make spirit is filtered through ten feet of hard sugar maple charcoal made on the distillery grounds. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2023 The steepled churches, town greens, mill dams, lumber mills and sugar maples of these West-migrating Yankees extended all the way to the edge of the prairie. Robert Thorson, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Nov. 2023 Stowe, Vermont Stowe is a tiny town with a big reputation — not only for its ski slopes that tempt powder hounds but also for its abundance of sugar maples that turn orange and red in the autumn. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 19 Aug. 2023 Shitakes need to be grown on a hardwood like oak, ironwood or sugar maple. Joanne Kempinger Demski, Journal Sentinel, 13 Apr. 2023 While this can be a refreshing trail in the summer heat, pay close attention to the weather forecast. 45 of 50 Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller, Vermont Explore the New England forests filled with sugar maple and hemlock, old fire roads, and Green Mountain pastures in this National Historical Park. Josh Laskin, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2023 In 1948, the state's Youth Centennial Committee held another vote by schoolchildren, and the sugar maple once again won the vote, followed by the white pine and birch. Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2023 Maybe the South doesn't brag about its blazing fall colors (because that's just bad manners), but Southern gardeners can enjoy autumn splendor every bit as lovely as the sugar maples in Vermont or the aspens in the Rockies. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2023 The prevalence of sugar maples in this northerly farm country guarantees such a bright show of red, yellow, orange, and even purple foliage that the line adds extra days to its schedule from late September through October. Patricia Harris and David Lyon, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sugar maple.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1731, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sugar maple was in 1731

Dictionary Entries Near sugar maple

Cite this Entry

“Sugar maple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sugar%20maple. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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

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