Synonyms
Examples of sap in a Sentence
Sarah Nassauer, WSJ, 24 Nov. 2023
But this year, droughts in the Midwest sapped the thousands of tributaries that supply the Mississippi, weakening the river and allowing a wedge of saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico to creep dozens of miles upstream.
—Jacey Fortin, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2023
In the case of monetary tightening, however, the authors said the hit to demand may leave companies with less incentive to innovate, while higher interest rates may make safer investments more attractive and sap the sort of risk appetite that drives venture funding.
—Fox News, 25 Aug. 2023
But the challenges haven’t sapped this community’s joy.
—Laura Reiley, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
At the same time, global warming is making dams a less reliable energy source by sapping the flow of Western rivers.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2023
Advertisement By that criterion, California is already on the cliff’s edge, as industrial agriculture and other uses are sapping supplies so quickly that more than 5,700 wells are currently dry and thousands more are at risk, according to state data.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2023
But a series of events quickly sapped her political support.
—Jeremy Kohler, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2023
Do keep an eye out for suckers coming from the rootstock or the trunk and remove them forcibly by wrenching them out to prevent the sucker from taking over and sapping energy from your tree rose.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2023
Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2023
Give it up or step down, but don’t play me for a sap.
—Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2023
Outbreaks are sporadic and previous infections in South Asia have occurred when people drank date-palm sap contaminated with bat excreta.
—Reuters, NBC News, 14 Sep. 2023
Wild parsnip is problematic because the plant's sap can cause phytophotodermatitis ― a type of skin rash or blistering that occurs when skin exposed to the plant's sap is then exposed to sunlight.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2023
There’s even some wood sap and ginger in there to round it out with a little zip.
—Garrett Munce, Men's Health, 28 June 2023
But craftsmanship needs to constantly feed on new sap, and only through constant research and the integration of new technologies can manual art evolve and keep up with the times.
—Pino Gagliardi, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Oct. 2023
Franks knows the scent of damp earth under plow, the touch of sap on a cold tree, and how to write about men who cannot countenance the wildness of women.
—The Week Staff, The Week, 26 Aug. 2023
And fine-needled evergreen shrubs and trees, like cedar, cypress, fir, juniper, pine and spruce, contain volatile saps and resins.
—Jessica Damiano, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun (1)
Middle English, from Old English sæp; akin to Old High German saf sap
Verb (2)
Middle French sapper, from Old Italian zappare, from zappa hoe
Noun (2)
French sape, from saper
Noun (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb (1)
1725, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb (2)
1598, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Noun (2)
1642, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing sap
Articles Related to sap
Dictionary Entries Near sap
Cite this Entry
“Sap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sap. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
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Kids Definition
sap
1 of 2 nounsap
2 of 2 verb
Medical Definition
sap
More from Merriam-Webster on sap
Nglish: Translation of sap for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of sap for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sap
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