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

With a nice thickness that didn't run all over the plate, and a balanced sweetness with strong maple flavors, our editors thought this would be an ideal pancake syrup. —Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 20 Dec. 2025

Home cooks were encouraged to skip frostings and instead to sweeten cakes with maple syrup, honey or molasses, making a maple syrup cake with maple icing a festive workaround. —Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 20 Dec. 2025

Groves fashions her lasts in beech, maple, or hornbeam, all of which are sourced from European timber merchants. —Katie Abel, Footwear News, 19 Dec. 2025

What makes this different from an American single malt is that the barley is unmalted, and the effect on flavor is marked here with notes of caramel, butterscotch, maple, and brown sugar on the palate. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 19 Dec. 2025

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