killer app

noun

: a computer application of such great value or popularity that it assures the success of the technology with which it is associated
broadly : a feature or component that in itself makes something worth having or using

Examples of killer app in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
If such a killer app does not emerge, companies will cut back on investing in generative AI — which could hurt Nvidia’s growth. Peter Cohan, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024 Zoom out: Stablecoins are the killer app of blockchains, and tether is leading the market. Brady Dale, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024 Today’s American dream tends to involve virtual pursuits—influencing, making a killer app, getting lucky with crypto—but the gladiatorial ring is a macho, meat-space proving ground. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2024 Stablecoins — widely believed to be crypto’s killer app — were a bright spot in the third quarter. Tanaya MacHeel, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for killer app 

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of killer app was in 1988

Dictionary Entries Near killer app

Cite this Entry

“Killer app.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/killer%20app. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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