application programming interface
noun
variants
or less commonly application program interface
computing
: a set of rules that allows programmers to develop software for a particular operating system without having to be completely familiar with that operating system
To fix this problem, trustbusters have installed a provision forcing Microsoft to disclose more information about its so-called application programming interfaces, or APIs.—
Business Week
—abbreviation API
Business WeekExamples of application programming interface in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One way service providers are beginning to change that equation is by exposing telecom network functionality via application programming interfaces (APIs).
—Raghav Sahgal, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
One way to do this would be to control models behind an application programming interface, a software layer that acts as a gate between users and language models, which would allow AI service providers (and potentially others) to deter, detect, and respond to potential propagandists.
—Josh A. Goldstein, Foreign Affairs, 7 Apr. 2023
Since then, Sony has released additional versions with new design features, and the company has also opened up Aibo to some degree of programming, giving users access to visual programming tools and an application programming interface (API).
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Dec. 2024
In 2018, the European Union adopted the Revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2), a legal and regulatory framework for financial institutions to share customer data with consent via application programming interfaces (APIs).
—Ruth Foxe Blader, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for application programming interface 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Raghav Sahgal, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
One way to do this would be to control models behind an application programming interface, a software layer that acts as a gate between users and language models, which would allow AI service providers (and potentially others) to deter, detect, and respond to potential propagandists.
—Josh A. Goldstein, Foreign Affairs, 7 Apr. 2023
Since then, Sony has released additional versions with new design features, and the company has also opened up Aibo to some degree of programming, giving users access to visual programming tools and an application programming interface (API).
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Dec. 2024
In 2018, the European Union adopted the Revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2), a legal and regulatory framework for financial institutions to share customer data with consent via application programming interfaces (APIs).
—Ruth Foxe Blader, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for application programming interface
Dictionary Entries Near application programming interface
Cite this Entry
“Application programming interface.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/application%20programming%20interface. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share