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Synonyms

sapling

American  
[sap-ling] / ˈsæp lɪŋ /

noun

  1. a young tree.

  2. a young person.

sapling British  
/ ˈsæplɪŋ /

noun

  1. a young tree

  2. literary a youth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of sapling

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; sap 1, -ling 1

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.

Torak couldn’t see beyond the firelight, but he knew that the clearing, too, was a wreck of snapped saplings and trampled bracken.

From Literature

We quickly walked into a bed of knee-high sequoias saplings so thick I couldn’t estimate their number.

From Los Angeles Times

The planting took place within fenced plots, which are designed to protect young saplings.

From BBC

I missed Rowdy by a good five feet, and had to grab hold of a sapling to keep from falling down.

From Literature

There was a hardy little sapling growing in the snow in front of the cottage.

From Literature

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.