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Synonyms

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.
app 2 American  
[ap] / æp /

noun

  1. Informal. an appetizer served before a meal.

app. 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. apparatus.

  2. apparent.

  3. appendix.

  4. applied.

  5. appointed.

  6. approved.

  7. approximate.

app British  
/ æp /

noun

  1. informal computing short for application program

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of app1

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

Origin of app2

By shortening

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Guthrie's pacemaker was disconnected from her phone app on the night of her disappearance.

From BBC

“The speed to being able to get something from your closet onto the app really matters.”

From MarketWatch

Depop is also more popular as an app than a website, unlike eBay, which may help bring in a new user base.

From The Wall Street Journal

Multiple documents dating back as far as 2013 detailed efforts to target teens specifically, including to grow “time spent” on the app by children under 13.

From Los Angeles Times

Some of the investment was planned for building autonomous delivery vehicles External link and updating the tech that powers DoorDash’s apps.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.