applies

present tense third-person singular of apply
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as in exerts
to bring to bear especially forcefully or effectively apply pressure to the area to stop the bleeding

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of applies The Goldilocks principle applies to ensuring that the soup is not too hot and not too cold. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025 The announcement applies to all the military services and is the latest in a series of restrictions after years of military services loosening the rules on how troops can look, often at the request of service members themselves. Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025 Neither of those obstacles to distribution applies to Lilly’s pill. Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025 The Same Rule Applies for Furniture Designer Jen Baxter of Baxter Hill Interiors applies a similar concept to combining furniture that shows off vastly different styles. Tessa Cooper, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025 All of that applies to charters. Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025 The expiring boost, implemented in Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act under former President Joe Biden, applies to 22 million of the 24 million low- and middle-income Americans with plans through the ACA marketplace. Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2025 No, Spotify's Lossless Listening only applies to music streamed on the app, Spotify engineer John Cieslik-Bridgen told USA TODAY. Greta Cross, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025 This applies universally to how 40-somethings view 50-somethings; 40-something women mostly covet 50-something men because they’ve been burned by their same-age spouses and want a grown-up. Linsey Hughes, Flow Space, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for applies
Verb
  • Swift’s involvement in the legal battle relates, in part, to suggestions from Lively that Baldoni altered a rooftop scene at the beginning of the film.
    Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Toward the end of one documentary, Guy relates a tragic incident in which two démineurs from his team were killed while rearranging a crate of unexploded artillery shells.
    Michael Jerome Plunkett September 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Nosrat devotes a whole chapter of Good Things to homemade condiments, components, and toppings.
    Amiel Stanek, Bon Appetit Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
  • This scene must have inspired the one in the iconic six-hour 1995 BBC series, which devotes a full minute to Elizabeth’s muddy walk.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The virus is contagious and spreads through contact with blood or body fluids from a person infected with the virus, according to the CDC.
    Dr. Jade Cobern, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2025
  • The male balances on the female's back and spreads his wings, showing just how flexible those stilt legs are.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In addition to Western guests, CGTN also uses Western news anchors and correspondents, giving the network an even more legitimate appearance.
    Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The fund’s performance in the first seven months of the year — the most recent Boston Partners has made available on its performance — has comfortably outperformed that of the MSCI World Index, which its management team uses as a comparative benchmark index.
    Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • High blood pressure, or hypertension, occurs when the force that your blood exerts on the walls of your arteries and veins is higher than normal.
    Mark Gurarie, Health, 16 Sep. 2025
  • As the planet orbits the star, the star also moves — or wobbles in its own orbit — due to the equal-and-opposite gravitational force that the planet exerts on the parent star.
    Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • After Kirk's shooting, Utah's governor reminded the public that the state enforces the death penalty.
    Nick Mordowanec Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Army Basic Training builds resilience and perseverance through demanding routines and enforces respect for rules and chain of command, just as sports instill respect for rules, teammates, opponents and fair play.
    Ron Mix, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The list pertains to jerseys officially licensed by the NFL Players Association.
    Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
  • There is more to follow, all of which pertains to the film’s title and is rather laborious to discuss in a review without spoilers.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Bankruptcy law, at § 365, essentially gives the trustee of the bankruptcy estate the right to either accept an executory contract (meaning that the trustee will have to render performance to get the benefit) or can reject the contract and forfeit the benefit.
    Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • By late summer, ICE began showing up at job sites, which gives it a much bigger return on its investment.
    Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Applies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/applies. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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