sugarcane

noun

sug·​ar·​cane ˈshu̇-gər-ˌkān 

: a stout tall perennial grass (Saccharum officinarum) native to tropical southeast Asia that has a large terminal panicle and is widely grown in warm regions as a source of sugar

Illustration of sugarcane

Examples of sugarcane in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Where once these trees stood in the island of Negros, sugarcane now dominates, all benefiting the hacenderos who welcomed the American lumbermen to clear the forests for later agricultural conversion. —JSTOR Daily, 19 Nov. 2025

Salvador Samba, Brazil’s signature percussive genre, was born in the sugarcane mills of Salvador, the heart of Black culture in the country. —Carolina Abbott Galvão, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025

The SweetFoam midsole is made from sugarcane, which is a waste-free material. —Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2025

The Late Fall Harvest For her family, the ritual begins in mid-November, after the sugarcane has grown for about eight months. —Ivy Odom, Southern Living, 1 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sugarcane

• aeroplane
• appertain
• ascertain
• capitaine
• cassegrain
• cellophane
• chatelaine
• counterpane
• entertain
• gethsemane
• halothane
• hurricane

Kids Definition

sugarcane

noun

sug·​ar·​cane ˈshu̇g-ər-ˌkān 

: a tall tropical grass that has a thick jointed stem and is widely grown in warm regions as a source of sugar