noun

sap

noun

The watery fluid that circulates through a plant, carrying nutrients.

"Maple sap is boiled down for hours to make syrup."

"The tree oozed sticky sap where the branch had broken off."

A gullible or easily fooled person.

"Don't be such a sap — that deal is obviously a scam."

A small, weighted club, often leather-covered, used as a hand weapon.

"The security guard carried a sap tucked into his belt."

verb

To gradually drain someone's strength, energy, or resolve.

"The long commute sapped her energy before the workday even began."

"Years of overwork had sapped his enthusiasm for the job."

How to Use Sap

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishMost often the liquid inside a plant, or (as a verb) to slowly wear something down.

Common mistake

As a noun for "a foolish person," it's old-fashioned slang — mostly heard in vintage films and books rather than everyday speech.

Common pairings

sap someone's strength maple sap what a sap

Word Forms

sapped past tense, sapped past tense, sapped past tense, saps plural, saps plural, saps plural, saps singular, saps singular, saps singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “sap” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Maple _____ is boiled down for hours to make syrup.

Etymology

From Old English "saep" ("juice, sap"), from a Proto-Germanic root related to taste; the "gullible person" sense comes from "sapskull," literally someone with sap instead of brains.