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

The Granny Smith apples add sweet notes to the otherwise savory flavor profile and pull richness from the bourbon. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 23 Dec. 2025

The first Christmas trees were said to be decorated with apples in an allusion to Adam and Eve, who, in some interpretations of the Christian faith, are thought to have shared a name day on December 24. —Literary Hub, 23 Dec. 2025

Cut peach, apple, pear, or nectarine in 8 wedges. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Dec. 2025

Upgrade your countertops with a few storage essentials, like ingredient canisters and fruit bowls, that help house your produce without being an eyesore (or having your apples loose on the stone surface). —Jordan Goldberg, Architectural Digest, 22 Dec. 2025

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-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