apple

noun

ap·​ple ˈa-pəl 

often attributive

1

: the fleshy, usually rounded red, yellow, or green edible pome fruit of a usually cultivated tree (genus Malus) of the rose family

also : an apple tree compare crab apple

2

: a fruit (such as a star apple) or other vegetative growth (such as an oak apple) suggestive of an apple

see also:

apple of one's eye

Examples of apple in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Apple Basket Many products in the collection also feature an apple motif, including a charming pillow and even a wooden salt cellar and doormat, but we’re most intrigued by the bamboo and rattan apple basket. —Joseph Erbentraut, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Apr. 2026

Grab a coffee and visit ponies, donkeys, sheep, pigs, geese, goats, and chickens, or head to the garden to wander around the apple, pear, and plum trees in the orchard. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2026

Willy’s older brother, Ben (Jonathan Cake, plummy-voiced and elegant, a cedar to Lane’s stunted apple tree), breezes in and out, always on the way to or from some impressive capital venture. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026

While vinegar pies may sound daunting, this apple cider vinegar pie is bursting with tang and sweetness. —Abby Fribush, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English appel, from Old English æppel; akin to Old High German apful apple, Old Irish ubull, Old Church Slavic ablŭko

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing apple

• Adam's apple
• apple butter
• apple-cheeked
• apple-knocker
• apple maggot
• apple of one's eye
• apple-pie
• apple-polish
• apple scab
• (as) American as apple pie
• bad apple
• candy apple
• cedar-apple rust
• crab apple
• custard apple
• in apple-pie order
• lady apple
• love apple
• oak apple
• star apple
• sugar apple
• the apple of someone's eye
• thorn apple
• upset the apple cart

Rhymes for apple

• appal
• chapel
• dapple
• grapple
• pineapple

Kids Definition

apple

noun

ap·​ple ˈap-əl 

: a rounded fruit with a red, yellow, or green skin, firm white flesh and a seedy core

also : the tree of the rose family that bears this fruit

Medical Definition

apple

noun

ap·​ple ˈap-əl 

: the fleshy usually rounded and red, yellow, or green edible pome fruit of a tree (genus Malus) of the rose family

also : an apple tree