Meaning & use
sap
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Meanings
noununcountablebiology
The watery fluid that circulates through a plant, carrying water and nutrients.
Grammar: No plural; common in literal plant contexts.
Patterns
- tree sap
- maple sap
- sticky sap
Maple sap is collected in late winter and boiled into syrup.
A cut branch leaked clear sap onto the path.
The trunk was glossy where sap had dried on the bark.
verbtransitivefigurative
To gradually weaken or drain someone's strength, energy, confidence, or morale.
Grammar: Takes an object: sap someone's energy; often gradual rather than sudden.
Patterns
- sap someone's strength
- sap confidence
- sap the will to continue
The heat sapped our energy during the afternoon hike.
Constant criticism can sap a learner's confidence.
The long delay sapped the team's will to keep arguing.
Word forms
| third person singular | saps |
|---|---|
| past tense | sapped |
| past participle | sapped |
| -ing form | sapping |
Common combinations
- maple sap
- Farmers tap maple sap when nights are cold and days are mild.
- sap someone's energy
- The crowded commute sapped my energy before work.
- sap confidence
- Repeated mistakes can sap confidence if feedback is unkind.
- sticky sap
- Sticky sap covered the pruning shears.
Synonyms and how they differ
- drain
- Drain can be sudden or physical; sap emphasizes a slow weakening of strength or spirit.
- weaken
- Weaken is broader and neutral; sap often suggests hidden or gradual loss.
Opposites
Word family
- sapless adjective
- Lacking vitality or energy, often used figuratively.
Commonly confused: sap or syrup?
sap vs syrup
Syrup is a sweet concentrated liquid; sap is the thinner plant fluid that may be boiled into syrup.
Practice
Which sentence uses sap as a verb meaning to gradually weaken?
Choose one answer.
Only the first sentence shows gradual loss of energy. The other options use sap or sapling as plant-related nouns.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sap”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.