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sugarcane

American  
[shoog-er-keyn] / ˈʃʊg ərˌkeɪn /
Or sugar cane

noun

  1. a tall grass, Saccharum officinarum, of tropical and warm regions, having a stout, jointed stalk, and constituting the chief source of sugar.


Etymology

Origin of sugarcane

First recorded in 1560–70; sugar + cane

Explanation

Sugarcane is a tall, grassy plant that's used to make sugar. The majority of sugarcane is grown in Brazil. Most of the world's sugar is produced from sugarcane — and in recent years, that's meant a total of about 1.8 billion tons of harvested sugarcane annually. Special factories process the cut cane, extracting sugar crystals from inside its stalks, then evaporating moisture from the crystals to create fine, white table sugar. Other sugar products come from sugarcane as well, including molasses and cane syrup.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing sugarcane

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.

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These included a cognac label, a tequila brand, and three rhum agricole, or sugarcane juice rums, labels.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 30, 2026

Many economically important crops, including wheat, cotton, and sugarcane, are polyploids with similarly complex evolutionary histories.

From Science Daily Jun. 19, 2026

The woman crouches, coaxing the animal with sweet compliments and a stick of sugarcane she brought with her.

From Slate May 27, 2026

The set featured a traditional casita structure, block party salsa dancing, Puerto Rican flags and a mock sugarcane field.

From BBC Feb. 9, 2026

She took a bath in a spring to wash away her tears, and a Great Spirit appeared to her with armfuls of sugarcane and rice.

From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly

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