Did you know?
English offers a smorgasbord of words for nonsense, some of which are better known as words for food. We have baloney, spinach, rhubarb, and toffee, not to mention full of beans. And if none of those offerings are to your taste, you can say that's pure banana oil! Seemingly innocuous applesauce was first introduced to this menu back in the early 20th century. Back then, there may have been some bias against the real stuff. Poet Wallace Stevens’s turn-of-the-century description of a meal consisting of "some unnameable smathering of greasy fritters . . . and of course the inevictable applesauce" shows a lack of respect that must have been shared by others.
Synonyms of applesauce
Examples of applesauce in a Sentence
Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2026
Each of the cult members went knowingly, eating a container of applesauce spiked with phenobarbital, and Applewhite did too, though the movie stages his suicide as a catharsis of dread.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 June 2026
Wednesday, May 6, Pork Loin, sweet potatoes, green beans, whole grain roll, applesauce, milk.
—Ramona Sentinel, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Each meal comes with a drink and a choice of small fries, small tots, or applesauce.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for applesauce
Cite this Entry
“Applesauce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/applesauce. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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applesauce
noun
