sugar maple

noun

1

: a maple (Acer saccharum) of eastern North America with 3- to 5-lobed leaves, hard close-grained wood much used for cabinetwork, and sap that is the chief source of maple syrup and maple sugar

called also rock maple, hard maple

2

: any of several maples (especially Acer nigrum and A. grandidentatum) often considered subspecies of the sugar maple

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Emmons says the Bourdon Farms forest has a diverse array of foliage – from sugar maples, red maples, ash trees, beech trees, birch trees – to mitigate disease and prevent pest pressure. —Mallory Arnold, Outside Online, 30 Jan. 2023

New York The sugar maple is New York's state tree. —Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2023

Tap a sugar maple log, learn about making syrup and the science of sap, make maple taffy and sample syrup from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Saturday, tour three local sugar bushes — Inthewoods Sugar Bush, Maple Sweet Dairy and East Ridge Villa — from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. —Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2022

By his observation, leaves on the trees in the Metroparks started changing color right on time, and the many native species, including black gum, sugar maple, tulip tree, black walnut, American beech and various oaks hit their collective peak around Oct. 18, only a day or so later than usual. —Peter Krouse, cleveland, 11 Nov. 2021

Bruce Hopper grabs a bucket to be hung from a sugar maple tree the old-fashioned way. —John Tlumacki, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Mar. 2023

Richard Wolniewicz walked under an 80-year-old sugar maple to check on the bucket on March 17, 2021 in Topsfield. —Dharna Noor, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Feb. 2023

Before or after your breakfast, stroll the sugarbush and observe how sugar maple trees are tapped, and how the sap is reduced to syrup in the wood-burning evaporator. —Elaine Rewolinski, Journal Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2023

This formula features natural alpha hydroxy acids, which are found in sugarcane, sugar maple, orange and lemon extracts. —Dallas News, 30 Nov. 2022

See More

Word History

First Known Use

1731, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sugar maple

noun

: a maple tree of eastern North America with hard wood that is much used for cabinetwork and sap that is the chief source of maple syrup and maple sugar