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.
apparatus.
apparent.
appendix.
applied.
appointed.
approved.
approximate.
First recorded in 1985–90; shortening of application ( def. )
By shortening
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!"
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The 2026 Siri overhaul aims to turn Apple’s virtual assistant into an AI agent, complete with a separate Siri app similar to what chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude have.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 6, 2026
Luckily, EcoFlow’s app showed a real-time readout of how much electricity my panels were generating.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
He says that fans were getting notifications on the app saying 'programme update' but with no further explanation.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
He also expects Apple to launch an independent Siri app that functions similarly to other AI apps by acting as an “interface for text, voice, and attachments.”
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
Several app icons flickered into view above his head, and I raised an eyebrow as I recited their names.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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.
