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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They found that logos and products for brands that produce junk food and drinks - defined by the UK government as being high in fat, salt or sugar - were displayed 65,722 times in total.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
"The only thing the mam could afford to give the baby was sugar water," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
In one study the authors cite, consumers who say that they regularly avoid sugar still view sweetened cereal as a “permissible indulgence.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The researchers also investigated how pigmented rice might influence blood sugar.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
I had to get that sugar for my aunt, and maybe I’d have better luck in town.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
At Yangshuo Sugar House, a luxury resort housed in a former sugar mill, rooms start at around $300 a night.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
The landmark Domino Sugar factory was gut-renovated and now serves as offices for over 30 A.I. and tech firms.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
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
His favorite team of horses was Dicey and Sugar Stick, and “when he was driving the carriage, the ladies always felt safe.”
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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
Fructose and glucose are two common sugars found in many foods and drinks.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
Whatever its chemical constituents, the transforming principle was not composed of sugars, lipids, or proteins.
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
Generations of rockers would strive to replicate the sugared hard rock of the Raspberries but Carmen wound up softening his attack after he parted ways with the group.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2024
I park myself in the upholstered rocker strategically in between the little bowl of sugared pecans and the cookie tin containing the most Kanelkakor.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 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
Jo’s one strong point was the fruit, for she had sugared it well, and had a pitcher of rich cream to eat with it.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
"The sugaring season has come early this year and is still underway," he said.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2024
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
The profitability of maple sugaring depends heavily on yields of actual syrup, which certainly hinges on the actual number of days that hover at the cusp of freezing temperatures.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2022
They’d looked delicious hanging from the tree’s branches, but cut up into pieces, they emitted an aroma unlike anything he’d ever smelled before—the scent was intensely sweet, almost sugaring the very air around it.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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.
