app

1 of 2

noun

ˈap 

1

: application sense 3

a word processing app

especially : an application designed for a mobile device (such as a smartphone)

Health-insurance companies and government officials alike are drawn to the ability of smartphone apps to reach tough-to-access patients, to effect long-term lifestyle changes, and to do it all at a very low cost.

—Marcellus Hall

see also killer app

2

informal : appetizer

… the hidden video monitors that tell the cooks when the V.I.P.'s have finished their apps …

—Thomas McNamee

app

2 of 2

abbreviation

1

apparatus

2

appendix

3

appliance

Examples of app in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The app was downloaded more than 47 million times globally last month. —Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 5 Nov. 2024

The topic has become an important battleground between big banks and fintechs like Plaid that connect consumers’ bank accounts to fintech apps. —Jeff Kauflin, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Then Palmer’s phone rings with a call from the dating app MateQuest, and Knight accidentally answers. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 5 Nov. 2024

That may mean installing limits to your time on certain apps, setting up two-factor authentication or only consuming news through old-school media sources. —Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1981, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing app

• killer app

Kids Definition

app

noun

ˈap

1

: application sense 6

2

informal : appetizer

Medical Definition

app

1 of 2 abbreviation

appendix

APP

2 of 2 abbreviation

amyloid precursor protein

Legal Definition

App

abbreviation

Appeals