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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

Giant hogweed contains a sap which can leave painful blistering and scarring when it comes into contact with human skin.

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

Disputed bets also sap confidence in prediction markets, which claim to offer accurate, unbiased forecasts of the likelihood of important future events.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

Before, Ahmad could tap — meaning to cut incisions in the acacia trees, which exude sap that a few weeks later hardens into nodules of Hashab gum — four orchards in one go.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026

If only its sap had seeped into his system instead of mine!

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

SAP stock slumped on Wednesday, making it the worst-performing large-cap European stock, after a UBS analyst criticized the German database giant’s slow rollout of artificial-intelligence-based tools.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

Software giant SAP gains 3.5%, though Daimler Truck Holding slips 2.9% after posting earnings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

However, SAP cut its outlook for the year, citing a €100 million impact from the acquisition of data platforms Prior Labs and Dremio.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 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

In turn, Williamsburg has been sapped of all its affordability, and increasingly, its cool factor.

From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026

The catalyst for the former world number one's troubles appeared to be a lengthy rally which sapped him of energy and left him struggling to recover.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

In the last episode, from 2023 to 2024, drought sapped hydropower output in Zambia, hitting copper producers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

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

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

The heat and humidity have sapped all the Renegades of everything.

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner

It offloaded bare-bones models into rental fleets, sapping resale values.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

The dollar has also weakened over the past year and a half, down nearly 10% against the euro since the start of 2025, sapping the purchasing power of travelers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026

But this has been a recurring issue throughout a sapping campaign as goalkeeper Ramsdale needed no reminding.

From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026

The wound in my arm was sapping my ability to think, but I muttered, “Communication device ... spy at camp.”

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

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