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application.

The act of physically applying or laying on.

11 characters4 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˌæp.lɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation/ˌæp.ləˈkeɪ.ʃən/Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation/ˌæp.ləˈkæɪ.ʃən/Australia/ˌɛp.ləˈkæɪ.ʃən/New-Zealand
  1. The act of physically applying or laying on.

    countable · uncountable
    The application of this cream should reduce the swelling.
  2. The substance applied.

    countable · uncountable
  3. The act of applying as a means; the employment of means to accomplish an end; specific use.

    countable · uncountable
  4. The act of directing or referring something to a particular case, to discover or illustrate agreement or disagreement, fitness, or correspondence.

    countable · uncountable
    I make the remark, and leave you to make the application.
    The application of a theory to a set of data can be challenging.
  5. A computer program or the set of software that the end user perceives as a single entity as a tool for a well-defined purpose. (Also called: application program; application software.)

    countable · uncountable
    This application can connect to most social networks.
  6. A verbal or written request for assistance or employment or admission to a school, course or similar.

    countable · uncountable
    December 31 is the deadline for MBA applications.
  7. A petition, entreaty, or other request, with the adposition for denoting the subject matter.

    countable · uncountable
    Their application for a deferral of the hearing was granted.
  8. The act of requesting, claiming, or petitioning something.

    countable · uncountable
  9. Diligence; close thought or attention.

    countable · uncountable
  10. A kind of needlework; appliqué.

    countable · uncountable
  11. The substitution of a specific value for the parameter in the abstraction, in lambda calculus.

    countable · uncountable
  12. Compliance.

    countable · obsolete · uncountable
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *pel- Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ-der. Latin plicō Latin applicō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin applicātiōbor. Old French aplicacionbor. Middle English applicacioun English application From Late Middle English applicacioun, borrowed from Old French aplicacion (French application), from Latin applicātiōnem, accusative singular of applicātiō (“attachment; application, inclination”), from applicō (“join to, attach; apply”). Equivalent to apply + -ication.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.