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• sap
  sap

  noun

  the juice or vital circulating fluid of a plant, especially of a woody plant.
• SAP
  SAP

  abbreviation

  South African Police

sap

¹ American  

[sap] / sæp /

noun

1. the juice or vital circulating fluid of a plant, especially of a woody plant.

2. any vital body fluid.

3. energy; vitality.

4. sapwood.

5. Slang. a fool; sucker; dupe.

6. Metallurgy. soft metal at the core of a bar of blister steel.

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verb (used with object)

sapped, sapping

1. to drain the sap from.

sap ² American  

[sap] / sæp /

noun

1. Fortification. a deep, narrow trench constructed so as to form an approach to a besieged place or an enemy's position.

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verb (used with object)

sapped, sapping

1. to undermine; gradually or insidiously weaken or destroy.

   Synonyms:

   undermine, weaken, tire, impair, exhaust, enfeeble, enervate, drain, deplete

2. Fortification.

   1. to approach (a besieged place or an enemy position) by means of deep, narrow trenches protected by gabions or parapets.

   2. to dig such trenches in (ground).

verb (used without object)

sapped, sapping

1. Fortification. to dig a sap.

sap ³ American  

[sap] / sæp /

noun

1. a short club with a heavy tip that is used as a weapon; blackjack; bludgeon.

   The burglar carried a set of lockpicks and a sap.

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verb (used with object)

1. to hit (someone) with a club.

   If he tries to sneak out, I'll sap him over the head.

sap ¹ British  

/ sæp /

noun

1. a solution of mineral salts, sugars, etc, that circulates in a plant

2. any vital body fluid

3. energy; vigour

4. slang a gullible or foolish person

5. another name for sapwood

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verb

1. to drain of sap

SAP ² British  

abbreviation

1. South African Police

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SAP ³ British  

/ sæp /

acronym

1. Standard Assessment Procedure, the recognized performance indicator for measuring energy efficiency in buildings

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sap ⁴ British  

/ sæp /

noun

1. a deep and narrow trench used to approach or undermine an enemy position, esp in siege warfare

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verb

1. to undermine (a fortification, etc) by digging saps

2. (tr) to weaken

sap Scientific  

/ săp /

1. The watery fluid that circulates through a plant that has vascular tissues. Sap moving up the xylem carries water and minerals, while sap moving down the phloem carries water and food.

2. See cell sap

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Other Word Forms

• sapless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sap¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English sæp; cognate with Dutch sap; akin to German Saft juice, Old Norse safi; sap ¹ in def. 5 a shortening of saphead

Origin of sap²

First recorded in 1585–95; from French noun sape “spade, spadework,” derivative of saper “to dig a trench,” from Italian zappare “to undermine,” a military term, based on zappa “hoe”

Origin of sap³

First recorded in 1895–1900; perhaps shortening of sapling or sapwood (used as a tool or weapon)

Explanation

To sap something is to drain or deplete something over time. If you sap a maple tree, you drain the liquid inside it to make maple syrup. But if you sap a person of strength, you've rendered him defenseless. Whether used as a noun or verb, sap is rarely a good thing. If your energy or will is sapped, it’s not meant lightly; it means you have been exhausted of all your reserve energy, you’re reduced to a shell. If someone calls you "a sap," it suggests you lack strength and character. And if you get sap — the sticky liquid inside a tree — on your hands, good luck getting it off in the middle of a forest without a bar of soap and running water. Yuck.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sap SAP sapped sapping

It contains a sap which irritates skin when it is exposed to sunlight and can cause blistering and swelling.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

One such chemical is sulfoxaflor, a next generation pesticide introduced in 2013 to eliminate sap feeding insects such as aphids on crops including soybeans and corn.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026

They slice into the skin and hang receptacles to gather the drip of white sap.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

It could sap companies of a financial buffer if their core businesses struggle while they are still waiting for the AI bonanza to materialize.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

I leaned against a knobbly pine sticky with sap that matted the back of my head to the bark and watched the sky betray me into navy.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

In addition, the analysts flag a likely deceleration in constant-currency backlog growth, estimating SAP will end the year at 24% organic growth versus the 26% figure from June.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

The German DAX edged 0.1% lower, as gains for banks—Deutsche Bank rose 2.4%—were outweighed by a 2.5% fall for index-heavyweight SAP.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Find insight on SAP, TSMC, OpenAI and more in the latest Market Talks covering technology, media and telecom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The group’s current cloud backlog—a closely watched measure of sales that SAP expects over the coming year based on existing contracts—grew 26% at constant currencies in the second quarter, above expectations of around 24%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

SAP, s. liquid of any kind taken to solids.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume XXIV. by Alexander Leighton

The king of Ithaca’s pride in his ingenious trick is steadily sapped by a series of cosmic punishments.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

Every one of the 13 penalties England conceded sapped their momentum, ceded territory and ratcheted up pressure.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

Harding-Rolls predicted that the new game's arrival should also juice sales of gaming consoles, currently sapped by a global squeeze on memory chips that has driven up prices.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

Reopening the Strait of Hormuz as part of a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran would ease an energy crisis that has sapped economic growth and fueled inflation worldwide.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

The sullen wet heat of Volantis sapped his strength and left him feeling dirty.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

What it suggests is each rally is sapping more and more strength from the bulls.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026

Rising bond yields around the world are sapping investors’ appetite for stocks, interrupting a chip-stock rally that fueled major stock indexes to fresh highs this week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

Traders have been conditioned to anticipate a last-minute reprieve, sapping the subsequent bounce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026

But playing long into the summer in sapping conditions to become world champions is beginning to take its toll.

From Barron's ● Dec. 28, 2025

My energy is quickly sapping away, and the last thing I hear is Autumn’s muffled voice from above.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• blunt
• deplete
• destroy
• drain
• erode
• exhaust
• impair
• ruin
• undermine
• vitiate
• wreck