English Reference

Word

sucrose

Phoneticssu·crose

US/ˈsukɹoʊs/

UK/sˈʌkɹəʊz/

Definition

n. a type of sugar found in plants, especially in sugar cane and sugar beets. It is the main ingredient in white table sugar.

n. a disaccharide composed of one glucose molecule and one fructose molecule, occurring naturally in plants and used as a sweetener. It is the primary component of refined white sugar.

Examples

“The recipe calls for one cup of sucrose.”

“The factory processes sugar beets to extract sucrose, which is then crystallized into the white sugar sold in supermarkets.”

“While many artificial sweeteners are marketed as healthier alternatives, sucrose remains the industry standard for its specific crystallization properties and distinct flavor profile in baked goods.”

Examples

simple

“The recipe calls for one cup of sucrose.”

contextual

“The factory processes sugar beets to extract sucrose, which is then crystallized into the white sugar sold in supermarkets.”

complex

“While many artificial sweeteners are marketed as healthier alternatives, sucrose remains the industry standard for its specific crystallization properties and distinct flavor profile in baked goods.”

Real-World Examples

“A gene that breaks down sucrose and another gene that blocks this process are regulated in a coordinated way in the green-fruited species, allowing those fruits to retain more sucrose.”
Phys.org · 29 Sept 2026
“We report similarities between Arabica and stenophylla in the relative levels of several key compounds linked to coffee flavour, including caffeine, trigonelline, sucrose and citric acid.”
npj Science of Food · 20 Sept 2025

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱorkeh₂ Proto-Indo-Iranian *ćárkaraH Proto-Indo-Aryan *śárkaraH Sanskrit शर्क॑रा (śárkarā) Gandhari 𐨭𐨐𐨪 (śakara)bor. Middle Persian 𐭱𐭪𐭥 (šakar)bor. Arabic سُكَّر (sukkar)bor. Old Italian zuccherobor. Old French çucrebor. Middle French sucre French sucre English -ose English sucrose From French sucre + English -ose.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/sucrose

English Reference