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.
Chemistry. a member of the same class of carbohydrates, as lactose, glucose, or fructose.
(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).
a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter S.
Slang. money.
Slang. LSD
to cover, sprinkle, mix, or sweeten with sugar.
to make agreeable.
to form sugar or sugar crystals.
to make maple sugar.
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
any of a class of simple water-soluble carbohydrates, such as sucrose, lactose, and fructose
informal a term of affection, esp for one's sweetheart
rare a slang word for money
a slang name for LSD
(tr) to add sugar to; make sweet
(tr) to cover or sprinkle with sugar
(intr) to produce sugar
to make something unpleasant more agreeable by adding something pleasant
the government stopped wage increases but sugared the pill by reducing taxes
1250–1300; Middle English sugre, sucre (noun) < Middle French sucre < Medieval Latin succārum < Italian zucchero < Arabic sukkar; obscurely akin to Persian shakar, Greek sákcharon ( see sacchar-)
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He runs a hedge-fund firm, Moreton Capital Partners, that bets on the price of everything from American grains to Southeast Asian palm oil to Brazilian sugar and soybeans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
We also found that even in adulthood, they continued to consume less sugar and had healthier diets overall.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
These products are loaded with sugar, fat and chemical additives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
German government proposals to include Coke Zero and other artificially-sweetened drinks in its new sugar tax fizzled out Wednesday after pushback within the ruling coalition and from businesses.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Celia dumps a sugar packet in her drink.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Davis and her daughter call the peacock Sugar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
In 1890, the North River Sugar Refining Corporation was dissolved by New York’s highest court on the grounds that it was abusing its power as a corporation.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
British Sugar said all employees at Cantley could be affected and that discussions would begin with Unite, the workers' recognised union, and other employee representatives.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Jack Klein, a Trump voter and environmental consultant in Sugar Land, Texas, near Houston, said Trump’s performance “exceeds my highest expectations.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Sugar was now a Muslim luxury, a sign of the wealth and generosity of Islamic emperors and kings.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
A food can taste sweet because it contains sugar, a low-calorie sweetener, or naturally occurring sugars.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
"An hour or two of exposure is enough to trigger glycosylation, or the binding of smoke to the sugars in the grapes," said oenology consultant Clement Prelat, who is advising winemakers in the area.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Sodha says that limiting each plant to 750ml of water a day produces "rich, highly concentrated sugars and aromas instead of water-logged, bland fruits".
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Drinking caffeinated coffee without added sugars, flavors, or cream was associated with lower risks of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and some irregular heart rhythms.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
A single strand of DNA consists of a backbone of sugars and phosphates, and four bases—A, T, G, and C—attached to the backbone, like teeth jutting out from a zipper strand.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
"Nah, nah, nah. I used to use sugared hot water, before the days of hair lacquer. And I couldn't afford hair lacquer, anyway."
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2025
The sugared cranberries on top, of course, stole the show.
From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2024
Takeout: The Much Ado About Stuffing pickup feast includes a 14-pound natural turkey ready to roast in your oven, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, brown sugared yams, roasted Brussels sprouts and roasted delicata squash.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2023
Dip each in the turbinado sugar to coat one side; set sugared side up on the prepared baking sheet, nine per sheet.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 15, 2023
Having seen the smoke and tasted the sugared air on his tongue, he delayed his journey to Palestine to detour back toward Vienna.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
"The sugaring season has come early this year and is still underway," he said.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2024
Stewart's "Daily Show" begat the version of late-night that holds sway over much of TV today: headline-driven segments sugaring information and politics with comedy.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2023
I do know from maple sugaring with my friend and his 89-year-old uncle that changing climatic conditions are making sugaring more difficult.
From New York Times ● Nov. 24, 2022
But she soon found that before she could provide services for clients, and earn more, she was required to attend trainings on such things as sugaring to remove unwanted hair and lash and brow maintenance.
From Reuters ● Oct. 17, 2022
How many gallons—what a wonderful crop!—how perfect the sugaring weather had been for days and weeks.
From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen
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.
