Synonyms

apply

American

[uh-plahy] / əˈplaɪ /

verb (used with object)

to make use of as relevant, suitable, or pertinent.

to apply a theory to a problem.
to put to use, especially for a particular purpose.

to apply pressure to open a door.
to bring into action; use; employ.

He applied the brakes and skidded to a stop.

Synonyms:

utilize
to use a label or other designation.

Don't apply any such term to me.
to use for or assign to a specific purpose.

He applied a portion of his salary each week to savings.

Synonyms:

dedicate, assign, allot, appropriate
to put into effect.

They applied the rules to new members only.
to devote or employ diligently or with close attention.

to apply one's mind to a problem;
to apply oneself to a task.
to place in contact with; lay or spread on.

to apply paint to a wall;
to apply a bandage to a wound.
to bring into physical contact with or close proximity to.

to apply a match to gunpowder.
to credit to, as an account.

to apply $10 to his account at the store.

verb (used without object)

to be pertinent, suitable, or relevant.

The argument applies to the case.
The theory doesn't apply.
to make an application or request; ask.

to apply for a job;
to apply for a raise.

Synonyms:

entreat, sue, petition
to lay or spread on.

The plastic coating is easy to apply on any surface.
to be placed or remain in contact.

This paint doesn't apply very easily.

apply British

/ əˈplaɪ /

verb

(tr) to put to practical use; utilize; employ
(intr) to be relevant, useful, or appropriate
(tr) to cause to come into contact with; put onto
to put in an application or request
to devote (oneself, one's efforts) with diligence
(tr) to bring into operation or use

the police only applied the law to aliens
(tr) to refer (a word, epithet, etc) to a person or thing

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of apply

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English ap(p)lien, from Anglo-French, Old French ap(p)lier, from Latin applicāre, equivalent to ap- ap- ¹ ( def. ) + plicāre “to fold”; see ply ² ( def. )

Explanation

Apply means to put on a surface, like to apply makeup to your face before work. Apply also means to ask in a formal way. Long before you applied the makeup, you had to apply for the job. You can apply the word apply to many situations, including when you make use of something — like when you apply the brakes on a car. Apply also means to really put effort into a task, like to apply yourself to learning Greek or reaching the next level on your favorite video game. But then again, maybe those examples don’t apply.

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Vocabulary lists containing apply

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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:

apply applies applied applying

Its findings may not apply to people with advanced arthritis, other patterns of joint damage, or those whose knees respond differently.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

Department of Housing and Urban Development said local homeless service providers would have to apply directly to it for funding.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

One proposed compromise, he said, would have allowed the Orangemen to complete one final march along the Garvaghy Road, on the condition it would not apply to march the route again.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Drought status would in theory allow Yorkshire Water to reduce the flow out of some reservoirs which would normally replenish water courses, in order to slow their decline, and even apply for a hosepipe ban.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

“He’s going to apply for a new position, one with less travel. And your grandmother’s going to visit more often.”

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Ms. Turetsky applies a bewildering array of nouns to describe peat—it is a vault, a tomb, a record, a pendulum, an archive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

The measure only applies to permanent Florida residents, and the exemption would only count for non-school taxes.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

The settlement applies to around 2,700 people detained at the Adelanto facility between March 11 and Sept. 30, 2020, who were exposed to the disinfectant called HDQ Neutral.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

But there is no confirmation this applies to the City case.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

You’ve listened to the testimony and you’ve had the law read to you and interpreted as it applies to this case.

From "Twelve Angry Men" by Reginald Rose

To investigate these effects in greater detail, the Texas A&M team partnered with scientists at the University of Oklahoma and applied a powerful technique called spatial transcriptomics.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

The City of Los Angeles applied for two of LAHSA’s functions, the homeless database and the matching system, but scored below Los Angeles County in both.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

The court confirmed that he too has now applied to appeal against his conviction.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Florida homeowners who have applied for the homestead exemption can estimate how much they would save under Amendment 3 on this website created by the state.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

It is as often applied to feelings which arise from a half-hour’s acquaintance, as to a real, strong attachment.

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

Wall Street firms are well on their way to applying cryptocurrency technology to traditional assets like stocks and bonds.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

He started using ChatGPT “for the purposes of applying it to natural-language problems in cybersecurity” and then “for insider threat detection.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

The violence comes amid growing anger over a court ruling requiring the government to remove barriers that had prevented some migrants from applying for asylum.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

The new development suspends Microsoft from applying for green cards for workers who come to the U.S. on H-1B visas and later apply to become permanent residents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

“I like to see my students applying themselves, but don’t mistake a few weeks of practice for years of it.”

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

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