sugar

American  

[shoog-er] / ˈʃʊg ər /

noun

1. a sweet, crystalline substance, C 1 2 H 2 2 O 1 1 , obtained chiefly from the juice of the sugarcane and the sugar beet, and present in sorghum, maple sap, etc.: used extensively as an ingredient and flavoring of certain foods and as a fermenting agent in the manufacture of certain alcoholic beverages; sucrose.

2. Chemistry. a member of the same class of carbohydrates, as lactose, glucose, or fructose.

3. (sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar term of address, as to a child or a romantic partner (sometimes offensive when used to strangers, casual acquaintances, subordinates, etc., especially by a male to a female).

4. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter S.

5. Slang. money.

6. Slang. LSD

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verb (used with object)

1. to cover, sprinkle, mix, or sweeten with sugar.

2. to make agreeable.

verb (used without object)

1. to form sugar or sugar crystals.

2. to make maple sugar.

verb phrase

1. sugar off (in making maple sugar) to complete the boiling down of the syrup in preparation for granulation.

Sugar ¹ British  

/ ˈʃʊɡə /

noun

1. Alan ( Michael ). Baron. born 1947, British electronics entrepreneur; chairman of Amstrad (1968–2008); noted for his BBC series The Apprentice (from 2005)

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sugar ² British  

/ ˈʃʊɡə /

noun

1. Also called: sucrose.   saccharose.  a white crystalline sweet carbohydrate, a disaccharide, found in many plants and extracted from sugar cane and sugar beet: it is used esp as a sweetening agent in food and drinks. Formula: C 12 H 22 O 11

2. any of a class of simple water-soluble carbohydrates, such as sucrose, lactose, and fructose

3. informal a term of affection, esp for one's sweetheart

4. rare a slang word for money

5. a slang name for LSD

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verb

1. (tr) to add sugar to; make sweet

2. (tr) to cover or sprinkle with sugar

3. (intr) to produce sugar

4. to make something unpleasant more agreeable by adding something pleasant

   the government stopped wage increases but sugared the pill by reducing taxes

sugar Scientific  

/ shg′ər /

1. Any of a class of crystalline carbohydrates that are water-soluble, have a characteristic sweet taste, and are universally present in animals and plants. They are characterized by the many OH groups they contain. Sugars are monosaccharides or small oligosaccharides, and include sucrose, glucose, and lactose.

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Other Word Forms

• nonsugar noun
• sugar-like adjective
• sugarless adjective
• sugarlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of sugar

1250–1300; Middle English sugre, sucre (noun) < Middle French sucre < Medieval Latin succārum < Italian zucchero < Arabic sukkar; obscurely akin to Persian shakar, Greek sákcharon ( sacchar- )

Explanation

Sugar is the sweet stuff that makes candy and other treats extra delicious, but eating too much of it is bad for you. Sugar isn’t only a food, it’s also an essential part of living cells and a source of energy for all animals. There are two main senses of sugar. First is refined sugar — the crystals that sweeten and preserve many foods. This yummy stuff comes from the sugarcane and sugar beet plants, and really hit the scene in the 18th and 19th centuries when sugar plantations spread and more people could get sugar. The other kind of sugar refers to biochemistry, and these sugars are an important part of the cells of all living things.

Example Sentences

Insulin glargine refers to a long-acting, synthetic analog of human insulin which is used to keep blood sugar levels steady for a full 24 hours.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Participants who took metformin needed about 12% less insulin than those in the placebo group to maintain stable blood sugar.

From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026

Volunteers who tried it had better sleep, lower blood pressure and healthier blood sugar levels overall.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Output from once-vibrant export industries like sugar, tobacco, coffee and fruit can’t even supply the domestic market.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

For decades, Cuban elites and wealthy Americans had been exploiting the island, gobbling up the richest sugar farms, the most profitable utilities and casinos.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• carbohydrate