sugars

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of sugar.

   Honey is a blend of several simple sugars in solution.

   Dietitians often distinguish between added sugars and those found naturally in food.

   Note

   A plural that only the countable uses of sugar can take. Chemists and dietitians count kinds, such as simple sugars and added sugars, and a café counts servings: two sugars in my tea. The granulated substance itself stays uncountable, and so does the slang for kisses, so "give me some sugar" never becomes sugars. The same spelling also does duty as the present-tense verb.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of sugar.

   The baker sugars the top of each bun while it is still warm.

   Whenever she makes lemonade, she sugars it more than anyone else likes.

   Note

   Every sense of the verb runs through this form, not just the kitchen one. A flatterer sugars a colleague with compliments, and a programmer sugars code with syntactic sugar. In regional US and Canadian maple-making, a batch sugars off when the syrup boils down thick enough to crystallize. That use always takes off, and either the boiler or the syrup can be its subject.

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