sugar
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Sucrose in the form of small crystals, get from sugar cane or sugar beet and used to sweeten food and drink.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
shuugerSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈʃʊɡɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
uncountable
Sucrose in the form of small crystals, obtained from sugar cane or sugar beet and used to sweeten food and drink.
countable
A small serving of this substance (typically about one teaspoon), used to sweeten a drink.
countablechemistry
Any of various small carbohydrates that are used by organisms to store energy.
Compliment or flattery used to disguise or render acceptable something obnoxious; honeyed or soothing words.
countable
A term of endearment.
uncountableslang
Affection shown by kisses or kissing.
verb
To remove hair using a paste of sugar, water, and lemon juice.
transitive
To compliment (a person).
transitive
To make (something unpleasant) seem less so.
transitive
To add sugar to; to sweeten with sugar.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Sucrose in the form of small crystals, obtained from sugar cane or sugar beet and used to sweeten food and drink.
Used this way, sugar is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- carbohydrate , a specialist term, precise but narrower
- saccharide , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use sugar
- “He usually has his coffee white with one sugar.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A corn plant developed in order to have young ears that are sweet and suitable for eating.
A wealthy older man who gives a young person expensive gifts in return for friendship or intimacy.
A large conical loaf of concentrated refined sugar.
Maple of eastern and central North America having three-lobed to five-lobed leaves and hard close-grained wood much used for cabinet work especially the curly-grained form.
A poisonous white solid (Pb[CH3CO]2) used in dyeing cotton and in making enamels and varnishes.
Malaysian feather palm with base densely clothed with fibers.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: sucrose in the form of small crystals
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “sugar” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.