killer app

noun

|Updated on: 23 Jul 2018

Definition of killer app

: a computer application of such great value or popularity that it assures the success of the technology with which it is associated; broadly : a feature or component that in itself makes something worth having or using

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Recent Examples of killer app from the Web

The iPhone 8 and iPhone X were designed with AR specifically in mind, and Apple will use this conference to try to convince developers to dream up AR killer apps that justify the investment. Likelihood: Very high.

— samuel axon, Ars Technica, "WWDC 2018: What we expect Apple to announce on June 4," 1 June 2018
Word processing, however, doesn't have a killer app yet.

— alexander george, Popular Mechanics, "Most Useful Podcast Ever: 4 Things to Know About About the New iPad Pro," 20 Nov. 2015
Hater seemed like a killer app, but execution was another story.

— max guther, Esquire, "Sriracha Is for Closers," 16 Jan. 2018
Don't narrowly think about AR requiring a boost from some killer app like the summer-2016-craze Pokémon Go—though that couldn’t hurt and is certainly possible.

— edward c. baig, USA TODAY, "5G to AR: Here are 7 technologies to watch in 2018," 2 Jan. 2018
The News Feed’s killer app has always been easy, viral outrage.

— farhad manjoo, New York Times, "The Difficulties With Facebook’s News Feed Overhaul," 12 Jan. 2018
Roboticists have learned that nurturance is the killer app.

— david freeman, NBC News, "15 top science & tech leaders offer surprising predictions for 2018," 31 Dec. 2017
But even if Bitcoin never finds its killer app, that won't necessarily cause Bitcoin's value to fall.

— timothy b. lee, Ars Technica, "Bitcoin is hitting new highs—here’s why it might not be a bubble," 17 Nov. 2017
In search of the 'killer app' That magic trifecta isn't guaranteed.

— edward c. baig, USA TODAY, "Is virtual reality the next 3D TV? Like VR, it was hyped, pricey and consumers didn't care," 4 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'killer app.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.