app
noun
a software application, often a small, specialized program for mobile devices.
app
1 American
[ap]
/ æp /
noun
-
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.
-
an application; a form to be filled out by an applicant.
I'm working on my college apps.
app
2
American
[ap]
/ æp /
noun
app.
3
American
abbreviation
-
apparatus.
-
apparent.
-
appendix.
-
applied.
-
appointed.
-
approved.
-
approximate.
app
British
/ æp /
noun
Etymology
Origin of app1
First recorded in 1985–90; shortening of application ( def. )
Origin of app2
By shortening
Explanation
An app is a program that's designed to be used on your computer, tablet, or mobile phone. If you don't have a weather app, how will you know whether or not to bring your raincoat? App is short for application. You can use it for any kind of computer application (like word processing or spreadsheets), but it usually refers to smartphones. If you have one, you've also got apps, for things like maps, banking, entertainment, to-do lists, and photo editing. Every so often, you'll also hear someone use app as shorthand for a restaurant appetizer: "I'd like to order some apps for the table, when you have a sec!"
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.
See Examples For:
At $20 billion, the upstart app now has a higher valuation than some long-established retailers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Yves Jeanrenaud created an app to alert people if smart glasses could be nearby after learning about people being recorded without their knowledge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Yu says he came up with the app after struggling with commuting in the heat.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
In some cases, a restaurant will seem fully booked when, in reality, the restaurant simply appears on an app that doesn’t have access to its tables.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Benji took a seat while they waited for their order, and Felix opened the banking app.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
"Truckers don't need another app. We need stronger protections and bigger paycheques."
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2025
Think about a recipe like a roadmap, a GPS app. or a guideline, but to a destination you’ve already been to.
From Salon ● Mar. 30, 2025
Though Uber as a company has horrifying labor practices, you can at least look at them and go, “This is why I’m using the app. This is why this is a potentially world-changing concept.”
From Slate ● Feb. 2, 2025
“As a parent, I get tired of that being UGA’s go-to. Oh, we have the safety app. Well, the safety app is not much of a deterrent,” Bennett told the Atlanta TV station.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 23, 2024
“I did my homework too, and I just opened the banking app. We only spent about ten thousand on day one.”
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
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.
