appliance

American  

[uh-plahy-uhns] / əˈplaɪ əns /

noun

• appliances
  plural

1. an instrument, apparatus, or device for a particular purpose or use.

2. a piece of equipment, usually operated electrically, especially for use in the home or for performance of domestic chores, as a refrigerator, washing machine, or toaster.

3. the act of applying; application.

4. Archaic. a measure; stratagem.

5. Obsolete. compliance.

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verb (used with object)

applianced, appliancing

1. to equip with appliances.

   a fully applianced kitchen.

appliance British  

/ əˈplaɪəns /

noun

1. a machine or device, esp an electrical one used domestically

2. any piece of equipment having a specific function

3. a device fitted to a machine or tool to adapt it for a specific purpose

4. another name for a fire engine

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reappliance
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• appliances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of appliance

First recorded in 1555–65; apply + -ance

Explanation

An appliance is a tool or device that performs a certain job. Your toaster is an appliance, and so is your dishwasher. Your dog? Not so much. Most modern homes are full of appliances that perform various useful tasks — or help you perform them. A hairdryer is an appliance that dries your hair, and a television is an appliance that offers hours of mindless entertainment. The earliest meaning of the word was "action of putting into use," from the verb apply, with its Latin root, applicare, which figuratively means "devote oneself to" or "give attention."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

appliance appliances

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement that multiple crews were at the scene, along with an appliance from County Durham and Darlington.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

This week at the international home appliance exhibition IFA 2026 in Berlin, appliance maker Miele unveiled a smart dishwasher.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

But the arithmetic was suddenly visible anyway: one broken appliance repaired, one replacement avoided, however many dollars still in somebody’s pocket.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

Spending at electronic and appliance stores fell 0.5% from the previous month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Whenever a new appliance was advertised on television, Mrs. Mancuso bought it no matter how obscure its uses were.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Since then I’ve put in about $90,000 more: a new roof, kitchen appliances, plumbing work and new windows.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

The company doesn’t typically provide segment breakdowns for preliminary results, but most analysts expect its semiconductor division to have driven strong quarterly earnings, offsetting weakness in home appliances, mobile devices and other nonchip businesses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Existing rules limited how much people can be paid for the electricity these appliances provide for the grid.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

It initiated the Jobsworth award for over-zealous bureaucrats and council officials, and Heap of the Week, in which failing domestic appliances would be destroyed on screen in a variety of ingenious ways.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

The hollering and the high-mindedness over, all that would be left would be another shabby little affair a la the Birmingham country club set, and a self-constructed private Gehenna with the latest Westinghouse appliances.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee

Related Words

• device
• gadget
• instrument
• tool