maple

noun

ma·​ple ˈmā-pəl 

: any of a genus (Acer of the family Sapindaceae, the soapberry family) of chiefly deciduous trees or shrubs with opposite leaves and a fruit of two united samaras

also : the hard light-colored close-grained wood of a maple used especially for flooring and furniture

Examples of maple in a Sentence

The maple leaf is an emblem of Canada.

a table made of maple

Recent Examples on the Web

The sap run from the maple trees has started to dwindle as the branches begin to bud out. —Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026

To find out if the bat really was better than the standard that's pretty much been unchanged for 150 years, the team created two bats from maple wood that mimic standard MLB bats as well as two torpedo-style bats. —New Atlas, 6 Apr. 2026

These include wild keta salmon bites, shrimp curry, strawberry lavender superseed cereal, maple cream cookies—and, yes, maple syrup. —Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 3 Apr. 2026

Latte flavors include cardamom, date, fig, pistachio, vanilla, caramel and maple. —Jenna Thompson april 1, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English mapul-; akin to Old Norse mǫpurr maple

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing maple

• bird's-eye maple
• hard maple
• Japanese maple
• maple sugar
• maple syrup
• Norway maple
• red maple
• rock maple
• silver maple
• sugar maple
• tiger maple
• vine maple

Rhymes for maple

• papal
• staple

Kids Definition

maple

noun

ma·​ple ˈmā-pəl 

: any of a group of trees having deeply notched opposite leaves, dry fruits with two wings, and hard light-colored wood and including some from which maple syrup and maple sugar are obtained

also : the wood of a maple