app

IPA/æp/
KK[ˈæp]IPA/æp/

app — noun

  • appsingular
  • appsplural

1. a small piece of software that you install on a phone, tablet, or watch so you c

1.nounA1
Definition

a small piece of software that you install on a phone, tablet, or watch so you can do one specific thing with it, such as messaging friends, listening to music, or finding directions.

Example

Ravindra opened the banking app on his phone to pay the electricity bill.

open the app on [device] for routine task

The kids spent the whole rainy afternoon playing a puzzle app on the tablet.

playing an app — typical leisure use

Common collocations
  • download an app
  • open the app
  • delete an app
  • free app
  • messaging app
  • banking app
Synonyms
  • application

    the full word; 'app' is the everyday short form

  • program

    more common for desktop or laptop software

  • software

    uncountable; refers to the whole category, not one product

Grammar Patterns

download an app

open an app

use an app

Usage Note

Almost always used of phone, tablet, or smartwatch software. Distinguish from sense 2: when the program is for a regular computer, English speakers usually say 'program' or 'software' instead of 'app', though the line is blurring.

Common Mistakes

I bought a new app for my fridge to keep cold.
I bought a new app for my phone to control the fridge.
an app runs on a phone/tablet/watch, not the appliance itself.
Please install this app on the printer.
Please install the printer app on your phone.
apps live on personal devices; they connect to other hardware.

2. any computer program written to do one particular job, such as editing photos or

2.nounA2
Definition

any computer program written to do one particular job, such as editing photos or writing text. In this wider meaning, an app can run on a desktop or laptop too, not only on a phone.

Example

Vinícius uses a free drawing app on his laptop to make comic strips.

app on a laptop — desktop usage signals sense 2

Our office switched from email to a chat app that runs in the browser.

runs in the browser — non-mobile context

Common collocations
  • build an app
  • browser app
  • desktop app
  • web app
Synonyms
  • program

    interchangeable in this wider sense; slightly more formal

  • tool

    stresses what the program helps the user do, not its form

Grammar Patterns

a [topic] app

run an app

Usage Note

Subject is often a developer, a workplace, or a school context rather than a personal phone user. Distinguish from sense 1: if the device is a phone, tablet, or watch, use sense 1; if it's a laptop, desktop, or web browser, use sense 2.

Common Mistakes

I wrote an app for solving math at home.
I wrote an app for solving math problems.
name what the app does, not the place it is used.

3. a short, friendly American word for a small dish that comes before the main cour

3.nounB1
Definition

a short, friendly American word for a small dish that comes before the main course, often shared by everyone at the table to start a meal.

Example

Ada and her friends shared two apps before the steaks arrived at the restaurant.

shared apps — typical restaurant scene

The waiter suggested the spicy wings as a popular app at this diner in Chicago.

[dish] as a popular app — recommendation pattern

Common collocations
  • share an app
  • order an app
  • popular app
Synonyms
  • appetizer

    the full American word; 'app' is shorter and more casual

  • starter

    the usual British and Australian word for the same thing

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

order an app

share an app

Usage Note

Heard mainly in American restaurants and casual conversation about dining; rare in British or Australian English. Distinguish from sense 1 and 2: this sense is short for 'appetizer', not 'application', and only fits a food context.

Common Mistakes

I ordered the soup as my main app.
I ordered the soup as my main course.
an app is a starter, never the main meal.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words can name a piece of computer code, but native speakers pick between them by device and tone. 'App' is the everyday word for something you install on a phone, tablet, or watch — short, casual, and now even used by older speakers. 'Application' is the same idea but more formal, often heard in tech support or written instructions ('open the application from your start menu'). 'Program' is the standard word for desktop and laptop software in the US, and still feels neutral when speaking of older or larger pieces of code. 'Software', unlike the others, is uncountable: you say 'this software is free', not 'one software', and it usually refers to a whole category or system rather than one specific product.

app ↗application ↗program ↗software ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • app store
  • app developer
  • app icon
  • app update

Phrases

  • there's an app for that
  • in-app purchase

Prepositions

  • app for [purpose]
  • app on [device]

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

A short form of 'application', itself from Latin 'applicare' meaning 'to attach to' or 'to put to use'. The clipping 'app' spread quickly in everyday English from the late 2000s, when smartphones with online stores made downloadable mini-programs part of daily life. The food sense, meanwhile, comes from shortening 'appetizer', and is much older in American restaurant slang though far less frequent overall.

First known use

1981

1981, in the meaning defined at sense 1