sucrose
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of sucrose
Explanation
Sucrose is the chemical name for the ordinary white sugar you stir into your iced tea or mix into your cookie batter. There is also sucrose in honey, maple syrup, and dates. There are many types of sugar, and sucrose is one of the most familiar. The sugar in your sugar bowl is sucrose that's been refined from sugar cane or beets. Other plants naturally produce sucrose, including sorghum and date palm. Eating too much sucrose can be bad for your health — an excessive amount can even lead to type 2 diabetes and tooth decay. Sucrose comes from the French sucre, "sugar," and the chemical ending -ose.
Vocabulary lists containing sucrose
Nutrition - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Nutrition - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Nutrition - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sugar beets — root vegetables that contain high levels of sucrose — are used to produce more than half the sugar in the U.S., alongside sugar cane.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 19, 2025
“When deprived of light and fed a diet of sucrose in fermentation conditions, this algal strain converts that sucrose into fat, lipids, or algal fat – oil,” he said.
From Salon • Apr. 16, 2024
Allulose provides nearly 70% flavor and sweet taste as sucrose, yet it is minimally metabolized as it passes through the body.
From Science Daily • Oct. 24, 2023
Early research on rats suggested that sucrose keeps animals hooked.
From Scientific American • Sep. 11, 2023
Freak goes, "Then that shall be your reward, faithful steed—tinted sucrose and bubbles of air. Onward! Onward to the Fortress!"
From "Freak The Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
