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

However, not everyone feels it, said Wes Schroll, founder and chief executive officer of Fetch, which runs an app where consumers can get rewards for uploading receipts and that data is anonymized for brands’ market research. — Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 25 July 2026

Both shows are available on demand for free on the PBS app and on Arkansas TV's World sub-channel. — Bill Bowden, Arkansas Online, 25 July 2026

Her weekly menu planning starts at home with an app that displays special offers and digital coupons. — ABC News, 25 July 2026

There’s an app that Trackman users can download to keep their data, 26 different measured metrics, portable and transferable across venues. — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 25 July 2026

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