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

Estyn Chung, general manager of Uber in Hong Kong, noted that the company launched its Uber Taxi service in 2020 to give riders the option to get a taxi on its app. —Chris Lau, CNN, 8 June 2024

Customers can find the offer in the Wendy’s app every Friday, and there is no purchase price minimum. —Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 7 June 2024

The keynote will livestream on YouTube as well as Apple’s website and TV app. —Laura Bratton, Quartz, 6 June 2024

According to the Associated Press, the attack occurred through the app’s direct-messaging feature and one of the other marks was Hilton. —Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 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