sugar maple

noun

1

: a maple (Acer saccharum) of eastern North America with 3- to 5-lobed leaves, hard close-grained wood much used for cabinetwork, and sap that is the chief source of maple syrup and maple sugar

called also rock maple, hard maple

2

: any of several maples (especially Acer nigrum and A. grandidentatum) often considered subspecies of the sugar maple

Examples of sugar maple in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His winning ribs were from Wichita Packing Co. in Chicago and cooked with sugar maple, cherry and apple wood. —Anna Ortiz, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025

Higher temperatures are facilitating the range expansion of sugar maple pests and pathogens. —Nina Foster, JSTOR Daily, 28 Mar. 2025

In fact, Indigenous peoples taught the settlers how to harvest and concentrate the sweet sap of the sugar maples that grow across northeastern Canada and the United States. —Debbie Olsen, AFAR Media, 13 Mar. 2025

Tennessee is a beautiful state, especially in the fall, when tulip poplars, sugar maples and hickory trees turn bright red, gold and copper, making the drive as joyful as the destination. —Colleen Creamer, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1731, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sugar maple

• papal
• staple

Kids Definition

sugar maple

noun

: a maple tree of eastern North America with hard wood that is much used for cabinetwork and sap that is the chief source of maple syrup and maple sugar