app

¹ American  

[ap] / æp /

noun

1. Digital Technology. a software application, often a small, specialized program for mobile devices.

   You’ll find numerous free photo editing apps in the app store on your smartphone.

   The word processing app that comes with the laptop isn’t adequate for our publishing needs.

2. an application; a form to be filled out by an applicant.

   I'm working on my college apps.

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app ² American  

[ap] / æp /

noun

1. Informal. an appetizer served before a meal.

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app. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. apparatus.

2. apparent.

3. appendix.

4. applied.

5. appointed.

6. approved.

7. approximate.

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app British  

/ æp /

noun

1. informal computing short for application program

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Etymology

Origin of app¹

First recorded in 1985–90; shortening of application ( def. )

Origin of app²

By shortening

Example Sentences

Soon, though, the photographs started appearing on dating apps and Instagram, and fake accounts were even set up using stolen images of her friends, to "make everything look more believable".

From BBC

The company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, added that bringing age verification for app stores would mean "parents and teens will only need to provide their personal information once."

From BBC

"A single VPN app was enough. The process is very simple and accessible to everyone," he said.

From Barron's

In the Alexa app that works with Amazon’s Echo, for example, you can restrict Amazon from using your voice recordings for certain purposes.

From Salon

That means fast server switching and app operating, so you get a VPN service you can easily rely on.

From Salon

Related Words

• program
• software