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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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 While college students majoring in computer science during the recent coding boom were getting job offers without even applying, graduates today in philosophy, art history and ethnic studies majors all have higher employment rates. — Heather Hollingsworth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026 The European Union’s ban on destroying unsold apparel, clothing accessories and footwear began applying to large companies July 19. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026 Avoid applying for any new accounts in the interim, and don’t underestimate the impact of making on-time payments. — Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 23 Sep. 2026 Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the death penalty in the case under a new law applying capital punishment to terrorism and nationalistic murders. — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026 Critics say some careers’ value cannot be measured only in income, and that in some fields applying the earnings test four years after someone graduated doesn’t provide enough time. — Ira Porter, Christian Science Monitor, 23 Sep. 2026 That scrutiny has been applied to researchers applying for new grants as well. — Anil Oza, STAT, 17 Sep. 2026 But then there are the times when the skin-care stars align—the feel, the smell, everything about the formula is so spot-on that just applying it is a win in and of itself. — Elizabeth Siegel, Allure, 17 Sep. 2026 Kansas City’s defense also delivered a strong performance, with the defensive line applying constant pressure on Broncos quarterback Bo Nix throughout the game. — Neil Nakahodo, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for applying

Verb

The incentive would allow a 35% to 50% credit on qualified expenses relating specifically to post-production in California.

— Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Relationship science draws a useful line here between two ways of relating.

— Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of relating

Verb

There, students spend two hours per day on core subjects with an AI tutor before devoting their afternoons to workshops designed to hone skills like public speaking and relationship building.

— Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026
Democrats are devoting resources, in particular, to the governors’ races in Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, and Nevada, all currently held by Republicans.

— Steven Sloan, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of devoting

Verb

The outbreak is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fueled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers' strike and intense population movements.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
The case was sparked by a nearly $800 million settlement Fox paid to Dominion Voting Systems, which accused the network of spreading conspiracy theories about fraud in the 2020 election.

— Maddy Lauria, NPR, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of spreading

Verb

Post-reaction analysis using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, or SEM/EDX, also showed morphological and compositional changes in the catalyst samples.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026
Spain highlighted incentives, investment, talent and infrastructure, while Greece stressed using international productions to build local capacity and training.

— Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of using

Verb

On the other hand, higher Fed rates typically bolster the attractiveness of dollar assets, exerting depreciation pressure on local currencies.

— , CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
Trump successfully exerting political control over the Fed would be extremely bad news for just about everyone.

— Cameron Peters, Vox, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of exerting

Verb

Earlier this month, Silver Diner filed a lawsuit against Fraport, claiming that the company breached its 2022 contract with the restaurant by enforcing costly renovations at an significantly higher price than initially agreed.

— Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026
So how do leaders coach employees to use it responsibly and productively while maintaining security and enforcing governance across the organization?

— Haris Pylarinos, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of enforcing

Verb

His tenure was cut short amid allegations pertaining to his spending of city funds as well as a relationship with an 18-year-old high school student.

— Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
The web portal will launch with a glossary of some 180 terms pertaining to AI designed to bring standardization to what has been an unruly moving target.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of pertaining

Verb

Cassavetes played up the conflicting feelings on set and exacerbated them by giving Rowlands and Cassel contradictory directions that constantly set the actors against each other.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 23 Sep. 2026
Post Malone and Morgan Wallen trade blame over bright guitars and driving percussion, giving the song a playful tension that keeps it moving.

— Brittney Williams, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2026