applicant

American  

[ap-li-kuhnt] / ˈæp lɪ kənt /

noun

• applicants
  plural

1. a person who applies for or requests something; a candidate.

   an applicant for a position.

---

applicant British  

/ ˈæplɪkənt /

noun

1. a person who applies, as for a job, grant, support, etc; candidate

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• applicants
  plural

Etymology

Origin of applicant

First recorded in 1475–85, applicant is from the Latin word applicant- (stem of applicāns applying, present participle of applicāre ). See apply, -ant

Explanation

An applicant is someone who signs up or applies for something. A job applicant for example, often fills out a form and then interviews for the position she hopes to get. When you submit your college application to a school you'd like to attend, you are an applicant to that school. Other kinds of applicants are job candidates and scholarship hopefuls. To apply is to put in for or request entry to something, and the root of both apply and applicant is the Old French aploiier, "apply, use, or attach," from the Latin applicare, "attach to, join, or connect."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

applicant applicants

A critic of a proposed solar panel site in Guernsey says he is now a "complete supporter of the plan" after going through the details with the applicant.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

First, the applicant pool all but stopped growing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

But such documents can help when it’s a more senior job, a niche role or a role likely to have a smaller applicant pool, she added.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

The April applicant was a 79-year-old man, and STAT’s sources “said it drew the interest of top health officials, suggesting the person receiving this drug was well connected.”

From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026

Alexander had the neatest handwriting and took notes on each applicant, while Beowulf and Cassiopeia escorted the ladies in and out of the parlor.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Fewer than one in 10 mortgage applicants at her financial institution are under 26 years old, she said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

This outcome is by design: The law gives priority to children with disabilities and lower incomes, and a $1 billion funding cap means the program won’t reach other tiers of applicants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

That fund already reached the maximum number of applicants, according to the Orange County United Way.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Beneath the prestigious firms, bar admissions and T14 law schools, the applicants listed additional skills.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

According to a study conducted by the DePaul University College of Law in 2000, of the then-ninety-eight occupations requiring licenses in Illinois, fifty-seven placed stipulations and/or restrictions on applicants with a criminal record.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• aspirant
• candidate
• claimant
• seeker