fructose

noun

fruc·​tose ˈfrək-ˌtōs  ˈfrük-  ˈfru̇k- 

-ˌtōz

1

: a crystalline sugar C₆H₁₂O₆ sweeter and more soluble than glucose

2

: the very sweet levorotatory d-form of fructose that occurs especially in fruit juices and honey

called also fruit sugar, levulose

Examples of fructose in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

By feeding gut bacteria with inulin, researchers found that the microbes essentially burn through fructose early, preventing that cascade of damage. —Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2025

Balbach plans to continue exploring how sperm use different fuels like glucose and fructose to meet energy demands. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025

Pears are naturally high in fructose and sorbitol (a sugar alcohol). —Daryl Austin, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025

The combination of the two drugs was found to reverse the fat accumulation in the liver induced by a diet high in fat and fructose. —Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin frūctus fruit entry 1 + -ose entry 2

Note: The term was apparently introduced by the British chemist William Allen Miller (1817-70) in Elements of Chemistry: Theoretical and Practical, Part III, Organic Chemistry (London, 1857), p. 57.

First Known Use

circa 1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fructose

• arkose
• engross
• faroese
• fucose
• gatos
• glucose
• jocose
• morose
• vadose
• adios
• adipose
• amylose

Kids Definition

fructose

noun

fruc·​tose ˈfrək-ˌtōs  ˈfru̇k- 

: a very sweet sugar that dissolves easily and occurs especially in fruit juices and honey

Medical Definition

fructose

noun

fruc·​tose ˈfrək-ˌtōs  ˈfrük-  ˈfru̇k- 

-ˌtōz

1

: an optically active sugar C₆H₁₂O₆ that differs from glucose in having a ketonic rather than an aldehydic carbonyl group

2

: the very sweet soluble levorotatory D-form of fructose that occurs especially in fruit juices and honey

called also levulose