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?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Available pre-mixed in tubs, thinset is the standard material for applying—and reapplying—tile to walls or floors. — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 15 Oct. 2026 Only one parent called to vent about the university’s response to the lawsuit, but her son was still planning on applying early decision. — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026 Research suggests that applying your strengths in daily life can help boost wellbeing and reduce stress. — Allison Aubrey, NPR, 15 Oct. 2026 At the campus garden’s La Kretz Garden Pavilion, UCLA’s Shahan will discuss her work applying single-cell genomics and time-lapse microscopy to the roots of one plant. — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 Reducing screen time doesn’t have to mean banning social media or applying identical rules to every teenager. — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026 Dana Inman, president and CEO of the Atlanta Center for Self-Sufficiency, said the event was designed to remove some obstacles people face when applying for jobs. — Jamal Goss, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 Multiple appellate courts have now recognized the importance of consistently applying NCAA eligibility rules and the significant disruption that results when eligibility standards vary from institution to institution or state to state. — Chantz Martin Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026 The team is currently applying this approach to devices installed across wall panels or doors to harvest ambient temperature differences. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for applying

Verb

Conflict with Indigenous peoples on the Maine frontier had sent traumatized refugees into the region, relating horror stories of attacks on their homes.

— Jennifer Byrne, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026
Vollmann was also pessimistic, relating that feeling comes from more than America’s current political issues, but also from the world’s environmental problems.

— Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of relating

Verb

The series tries to link all these women together into a tapestry of feminist frustration by devoting a few minutes at the beginning of each episode to an unnamed narrator telling different tales of misunderstood women throughout history.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
It’s been long rumored that Bundchen filed for the D word because she was fed up with Brady devoting himself to his career.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of devoting

Verb

When firefighters arrived, the fire was spreading quickly among the SUVs.

— Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Oct. 2026
Northeast Kansas City residents have expressed concerns about lack of community feedback and concentrating homeless services in certain areas, potentially overburdening a few neighborhoods rather than spreading services out more throughout the city.

— Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of spreading

Verb

Their role becomes clear at 21-, 36- and 52-Across, where the clues solve to partial entries, which can be completed only by using the entry spaces of those dash clues.

— Sam Corbin, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2026
In a small farm context, that will be to a grouping of farmers that form a producer unit using the same practices in the same climate.

— SJ Studio, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of using

Verb

Subsequent trials in the late 1960s and ’70s eventually proved its effectiveness, and the drug ultimately was recognized for exerting strong antipsychotic effects with virtually no adverse impacts on motor function.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Oct. 2026
With broader crypto legislation stalling in Congress, regulators are exerting their existing powers to address individual parts of the market, said Jeff Ko, chief analyst at blockchain infrastructure service provider ViaBTC.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of exerting

Verb

The Court was right to enjoin the White House from enforcing this 'unconstitutional ban on the free press' for the foreseeable future.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
Good luck enforcing Potemkin guarantees from hyperscalers or arguing that local protests excuse a construction delay that blew a hole in the financing.

— Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of enforcing

Verb

Doctors, therapists, and scholars guide us through all things pertaining to our culture and mental wellness journeys.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026
Doctors, therapists and scholars guide us through all things pertaining to our culture and mental wellness journeys.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of pertaining

Verb

By the time Lee’s moved on to thanking his dad for not believing him, thereby giving him something to prove, an embarrassed Frances is making a quick run for the exit.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that Riyadh was planning to make FII a hybrid event, giving executives the option to take part remotely.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026