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
Examples of killer app in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There is no clear killer app in sight for 5G mobile networks.
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John Mccormick, WSJ, "Why 5G May Not Need a Killer App—for Now," 9 Nov. 2020
Aviation is arguably the killer app for structural energy storage.
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Daniel Oberhaus, Wired, "The Batteries of the Future Are Weightless and Invisible," 6 Nov. 2020
The search for a killer app Finding an impartial opinion on blockchain projects isn't easy.
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Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, "The blockchain industry faces a moment of truth as high-profile projects go live," 21 Oct. 2020
While telecom operators have been rolling out 5G networks, for now most users aren't see a huge improvement in performance, while a killer app for 5G has yet to emerge.
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Irina Ivanova, CBS News, "Apple unveils iPhone 12 and HomePod Mini," 13 Oct. 2020
Close to 90% of that amount came from China, and was almost entirely driven by Douyin, the Chinese version of the company's killer app.
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Sherisse Pham, CNN, "TikTok is winning over millennials and Instagram stars as its popularity explodes," 5 May 2020
Pushing those plans back and making them more segmented—first a headset and then glasses to follow—shows a longer-term commitment to a technology that really hasn’t had its killer app moment, despite claims to the contrary from us.
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Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, "Apple Is Entering the AR Fray," 11 Nov. 2019
One possible killer app for IVAS is future integration with the Next Generation Squad Weapon systems, which will replace the M4 carbine and the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon.
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Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "'Mixed Reality' Goggles Will Give U.S. Army Soldiers Super Vision," 13 Feb. 2020
With Valve’s track record of success, Half-Life: Alyx might be VR’s first killer app.
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Matthew Gault, Time, "The 8 Video Games We Can't Wait to Play in 2020," 17 Jan. 2020
See MoreThese 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.
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“Killer app.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/killer%20app. Accessed 8 Mar. 2021.
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The first known use of killer app was in 1988
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