maple

American  

[mey-puhl] / ˈmeɪ pəl /

noun

1. any of numerous trees or shrubs of the genus Acer, species of which are grown as shade or ornamental trees, for timber, or for sap.

2. the wood of any such tree.

3. the flavor of maple syrup or maple sugar.

4. Bowling Slang. pin.

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maple British  

/ ˈmeɪpəl /

noun

1. any tree or shrub of the N temperate genus Acer, having winged seeds borne in pairs and lobed leaves: family Aceraceae

2. the hard close-grained wood of any of these trees, used for furniture and flooring

3. the flavour of the sap of the sugar maple

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Other Word Forms

• maplelike adjective

Etymology

Origin of maple

before 900; Middle English mapel, Old English mapul-, in mapultrēow, mapulder maple tree, cognate with Old Saxon mapulder

Example Sentences

The prime minister also probed Hansen on one burning issue: "A lot of Canadians just wanted one point of reassurance, that the preference is for maple syrup over nutella on your pancakes in the morning."

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

We humans eat seven fishes on Christmas Eve, samosas on Eid al-Fitr and maple cookies behind the moon.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

I have yogurt with frozen blueberries and a little maple syrup.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

The Canadian will also be taking maple syrup and maple cookies on his lunar voyage.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

From the last cone of maple sugar, she made a taste of syrup for them all, and that night, at least, they went to sleep with a comfortable warmth in their stomachs.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich