APPLYING Synonyms: 142 Similar and Opposite Words

applying

verb

present participle of apply

as in relating

to have a relation or connection does your rule about calling home apply to me as well?

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Relevance

as in devoting

to occupy (oneself) diligently or with close attention Sam applied himself to writing thank-you letters to everyone who'd helped sponsor him for the charity walk

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in spreading

to put a layer of on a surface apply the ointment liberally

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as in using

to put into action or service apply the laws of motion to this physics problem

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as in exerting

to bring to bear especially forcefully or effectively apply pressure to the area to stop the bleeding

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as in enforcing

to carry out effectively a police officer applying the law

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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 applying The court said federal children's privacy laws prevent Meta from applying age-verification tools to children under 13. — CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026 The Right Way to Clean an AC Unit Huckstadt recommends cleaning your AC unit by turning off its power, gently rinsing its exterior fins with your garden hose, and applying a coil cleaner if necessary. — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 6 Aug. 2026 Other ways to reduce flares in the summer include wearing lightweight, breathable fabrics to minimize friction and sweat accumulation on plaques, showering promptly after sweating, and applying emollients to maintain your skin barrier. — Teresa Maalouf, Verywell Health, 6 Aug. 2026 These not-so-genial genitors are hounding hiring managers, shadowing their kid’s Zoom calls off-camera, and even applying for jobs on their behalf, per the paper’s reporting, leaving their employers flabbergasted. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 6 Aug. 2026 Strong leadership is not about applying one preferred style in every situation. — Ozan Ozerk, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 The court said federal children’s privacy laws prevent Meta from applying age-verification tools to children under 13. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 During the LolaVie styling session, Aniston also praised Cox’s hair while applying the brand’s Glossing Detangler. — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026 Less than 1 percent of students applying to the University of Florida or Florida State University for the fall 2024 and 2025 semesters used a CLT score, records showed. — Chris Quintana, USA Today, 30 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for applying

Verb

Presenting one idea, and then relating it back to something political.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 30 July 2026
Its symbols represent a mathematical formula relating the time periods of celestial bodies’ motions in the sky.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 13 July 2026

Definition of relating

Verb

Meanwhile, police departments struggling with staffing shortages and budget cuts have stopped devoting resources to sweeping users and dealers off the streets or out of parks and playgrounds.

— Michael Powell, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
Commentary on balancing internal compute allocations with devoting resources to rent externally will also be notable, given Microsoft continues to invest in Copilot and its first-party AI models.

— Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 26 July 2026

Definition of devoting

Verb

On Monday, the flames had jumped containment lines to stop the fire from spreading.

— Robbie Griffiths, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026
This is another gut check of how far anti-incumbent sentiment is spreading in safely Democratic seats; Smith went on Breaking Points last month to defend himself and accuse Israel critics of being abusive.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of spreading

Verb

Clay regularly advises organizations on using existential psychology and behavioral science to improve their products, services, and workplace culture.

— Big Think, Big Think, 6 Aug. 2026
When South Korea’s stock market plummeted last month by more than 40% from its June high, Yun said data suggested that many traders who were using leverage to try and multiply returns were wiped out.

— Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of using

Verb

The dynamic underscores how Trump continues to view tariffs as a tool for exerting pressure, both for trade grievances and as leverage in broader negotiations.

— Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
But sometimes just thinking about tackling those jobs can feel exhausting, creating a barrier to success even for people who are highly motivated to improve their homes and their lives by exerting control over their belongings.

— Jolie Kerr, Washington Post, 18 July 2026

Definition of exerting

Verb

To address this, the research team put a lot of pre-conditions on the outputs designed to throw away some of the more extreme ones while still enforcing a bit of tinkering.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2026
In its filing, Teamsters California asks a judge to invalidate the regulations and block the DMV from enforcing them.

— Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of enforcing

Verb

What’s happening in Gaza is excessive retribution, and many Americans do not support that carnage, as recent polls pertaining to Israel indicate.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026
In December, the Justice Department started releasing investigative records pertaining to Epstein and Maxwell in accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

— Savannah Peters, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of pertaining

Verb

Then, the two-time Grammy winner donated his earnings, giving $500,000 across the 50 fan competitors in the competition ($10K each) and the remaining $500,000 to charity.

— Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026
Swavely said in an interview that the play attempts to present Helen’s perspective in the story, reimagining her as a mail-order bride and giving her a voice and agency in her own fate.

— Benjamin Carr, AJC.com, 6 Aug. 2026