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

Major companies hit The website Downdetector said that user reports indicated problems at sites including Amazon, Disney+, Lyft, the McDonald's app, The New York Times, Reddit, Ring, Robinhood, Snapchat, T-Mobile, United Airlines, Venmo and Verizon. —Tasmin Lockwood,katrina Bishop, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025

First, locate the red star Betelgeuse using a smartphone astronomy app. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2025

LangChain’s framework let developers build those capabilities into their LLM apps—and adoption skyrocketed. —Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025

The platform powers many apps and websites used by millions around the world every day, including Snapchat and Netflix. —Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Oct. 2025

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