sugar beet

American  

noun

1. various cultivars of a beet, Beta vulgaris, of the amaranth family, having a white root, cultivated for the sugar it yields.

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sugar beet British  

noun

1. a variety of the plant Beta vulgaris that is cultivated for its white roots from which sugar is obtained Compare sugar cane

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Etymology

Origin of sugar beet

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

"Once upon a time potatoes and sugar beet weren't grown here and now they're one of the main crops in the area," said Sarah-Jane Taylor.

From Barron's • Oct. 31, 2025

In a study published in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers found that sugar beet pulp could help farmers cut down on synthetic pesticide use.

From Science Daily • Oct. 12, 2025

To avoid being imprisoned in a camp, the Nakai family fled to work on a sugar beet farm in Colorado, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2025

We found that in the 1830s, the Waterloo area became a sugar beet production hot spot.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 2, 2024

Those dozen blockbusters are the cereals wheat, corn, rice, barley, and sorghum; the pulse soybean; the roots or tubers potato, manioc, and sweet potato; the sugar sources sugarcane and sugar beet; and the fruit banana.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond