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

That idea is behind NewTree Social, an early-stage community events app from 29-year-old founder Maddy O'Connor. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026

The grammar checker in your email app is likely powered by an LLM. — Adam Clark Estes, Vox, 18 Sep. 2026

Tunica-Biloxi will launch its app through new subsidiary SaltTrade Derivatives, where any prediction market wager placed by customers will be routed through Kalshi. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Studies have used everything from intensive classroom instruction to short daily sessions with language-learning apps, over periods ranging from weeks to months, to see whether language learning can improve cognitive function. — Karen Stollznow, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1981, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing app

• killer app

Rhymes for app

• cap
• chap
• clap
• crap
• flap
• frap
• gap
• hap
• lap
• nap
• nappe
• pap

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