sapling

noun

sap·​ling ˈsa-pliŋ How to pronounce sapling (audio)
-plən
1
: a young tree
specifically : one not over four inches (about 10 centimeters) in diameter at breast height
2

Examples of sapling in a Sentence

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.
Farm laborers plant rice saplings at a waterlogged field at Patara village in Jalandhar on June 18, 2025. Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025 In 2009, the next year, a carpet of cork-tree saplings popped up. Robert Sullivan, Curbed, 9 June 2025 In Bellevue’s garden was a single vine of Vanilla planifolia, native to Mexico, that Jennings believes descended from one of the first vanilla saplings to survive on the island, after a shipment arrived from Paris in 1822. Jay Cheshes, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2025 However, the exception is young saplings or fruit trees. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 9 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for sapling

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sapling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sapling. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

sapling

noun
sap·​ling ˈsap-liŋ How to pronounce sapling (audio)
: a young tree

More from Merriam-Webster on sapling

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