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killer app

American  
  1. an application that surpasses its competitors.


Etymology

Origin of killer app

1985–90

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:

Can TikTok's owner afford to lose its killer app?

From BBC Apr. 21, 2024

For her, the new killer app is a very old one — playing great live shows.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 10, 2024

But consortium members say the semiconductor industry also suffers from a lower profile compared with related fields such as software engineering, where coders garner media attention for developing a splashy video game or killer app.

From Science Magazine Oct. 19, 2023

“We used to have a killer app every three to four years,” Mr. Manocha said.

From Washington Times Oct. 5, 2023

One of the standard questions asked about each new personal-computer technology as it emerges has become "what's the killer app?"

From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Steele, Guy L.

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