application programming interface

noun

variants or less commonly application program interface

computing

: a set of rules that allows programmers to develop software for a particular operating system without having to be completely familiar with that operating system

To fix this problem, trustbusters have installed a provision forcing Microsoft to disclose more information about its so-called application programming interfaces, or APIs.

—Businessweek

—abbreviation API

Examples of application programming interface in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Open-source libraries, package managers, frameworks, application programming interfaces (APIs) and Stack Overflow made searching, selecting and adapting existing work part of development. — Boris Kontsevoi, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026

The systems can communicate through an application programming interface (API), which allows information to pass between them. — David Schepp, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026

Now, agents are capable of performing sophisticated workflows and traversing multiple applications by leveraging a critical artifact of modern computing, the application programming interface (API). — George C. Lee Ii, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026

Other positive signs include strong engagement trends both within the Gemini app and via application programming interface (API) usage on the part of enterprise customers. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for application programming interface

• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace
• blackface
• boldface
• bookcase
• braincase
• briefcase
• carcase