app

See also: APP, App, and app.

Translingual

Symbol

app

1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Apma.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Apma terms

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æp/
• (US) IPA^(key): [æʔp̚]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: app
• Rhymes: -æp

Etymology 1

Shortening of application.

Noun

app (plural apps)

2. (computing, mobile telephony) An application (program), especially a small one designed for a mobile device.
   • 1999 February, Maximum PC, volume 4, number 2:

     A visual tool can be thought of as a graphics app that generates most of your program's GUI code for you

   • 1999, Jerry Bradenbaugh, JavaScript application cookbook, page xi:

     So is a spreadsheet app, but I'm not going to put those on a web site any time soon.

   • 1999 November, AUUGN, volume 20, number 4, page 9:

     The Web browser was the killer app that kickstarted the Internet and, in turn, enabled it to be embedded in everything

   • 2005 May, Popular Science, volume 266, number 5, page 78:

     Want realtime flight and gate updates? A calorie counter? A remote for your DVD player? Chances are there's an app for it. Smartphones separate themselves in another key area: connectivity

3. (military) application (use, purpose; not a computer program)
   • 1995, The X-Files (TV series), Nisei (episode)

     SCULLY: What are these chips used for?
     PENDRELL: Video games, brake systems, they're finding new apps every day. I just read about one being designed to help the severely disabled operate computers using brainwaves.

4. (education, informal) application (to a college etc.)
   • 2011, Nicole Leigh Shepherd, Stealing Bases:

     “Ky—please don't take this the wrong way—I actually have to wear a dress from our line. You know, to show off my marketing materials on my college app. So, I'm working on it with Hannah.”

Hyponyms

• API app
• app store
• butterfly app
• clock app
• function app
• killer app
• logic app
• mobile app
• Web app

Derived terms

• appbar
• appification
• appisode
• appless
• applet
• app service
• app slave
• app wrapper
• bird app
• branded app
• in-app
• microapp
• multiapp
• postapp
• preapp
• super-app
• web app
• WhatsApp

Translations

small computer application

• Afrikaans: toep, app
• Arabic: تَطْبِيق m (taṭbīq)

  Hijazi Arabic: تَطْبِيق m (taṭbīg)

• Armenian: հավելված (hy) (havelvac), գործադիր (hy) (gorcadir)
• Azerbaijani: tətbiq, proqram (az)
• Basque: please add this translation if you can
• Belarusian: дада́так m (dadátak), прагра́ма f (prahráma)
• Bulgarian: приложе́ние (bg) n (priložénie), програ́ма (bg) f (prográma)
• Catalan: apli f, app (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 應用程式 / 应用程式 (jing³ jung⁶ cing⁴ sik¹), app (ep¹)

  Mandarin: 應用程序 / 应用程序 (yìngyòng chéngxù) (mainland China), 應用程式 / 应用程式 (zh) (yìngyòng chéngshì) (Taiwan), 應用 / 应用 (zh) (yìngyòng), APP (zh)

• Czech: aplikace (cs) f
• Danish: app c
• Dutch: app (nl) m, applicatie (nl) f
• Esperanto: apo (eo), aplikaĵo
• Estonian: app (et), äpp
• Faroese: app f
• Finnish: sovellus (fi), mobiilisovellus (fi), äppi (fi), applikaatio (fi), appi (fi)
• French: appli (fr) f, application (fr) f, programme (fr) m
• Georgian: აპლიკაცია (aṗliḳacia)
• German: App (de) f
• Greek: εφαρμογή (el) f (efarmogí)
• Hebrew: יישום \ יִשּׂוּם m (yisúm), אַפְּלִיקַצְיָה (he) f (aplikátsya), תׇּכְנָה f (tokhná)
• Hungarian: alkalmazás (hu), app (hu) (slang)
• Icelandic: app (is) n
• Irish: aip f
• Italian: app (it) f, applicazione (it) f, programma (it) m
• Japanese: アプリ (ja) (apuri), アプリケーション (ja) (apurikēshon)
• Kazakh: қосымша (kk) (qosymşa), қолданба (kk) (qoldanba)
• Khmer: អាប់ (km) (ʼap), កម្មវិធី (km) (kamvithii)
• Korean: 앱 (ko) (aep), 애플리케이션 (ko) (aepeullikeisyeon)
• Kyrgyz: колдонмо (ky) (koldonmo), тиркеме (tirkeme)
• Lao: ແອັບ (ʼæp)
• Latvian: aplikācija f, lietotne f
• Lithuanian: programėlė f
• Macedonian: апликација f (aplikacija), извршник m (izvršnik)
• Malay: please add this translation if you can
• Maori: taupānga, pūmanawa tautono
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: app m

  Nynorsk: app m

• Ojibwe: mazinaabikiwebinigan-agaasaa'makak
• Persian: اپلیکیشن (aplikeyšen), اپ (fa) (ap)
• Polish: apka (pl) f, aplikacja (pl) f
• Portuguese: app (pt) m or f, (Brazil) aplicativo (pt) m, (Brazil) aplicativo móvel m, (Portugal) aplicação (pt) f, (Portugal) aplicação móvel f
• Romanian: app n, aplicație (ro) f
• Russian: приложе́ние (ru) n (priložénije), програ́ммка (ru) f (prográmmka), прикладна́я програ́мма f (prikladnája prográmma), програ́мма (ru) f (prográmma)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: аплика́ција f

  Roman: aplikácija (sh) f

• Slovak: aplikácia f
• Slovene: aplikacija f
• Spanish: apli f (Spain), app m or f (ap)
• Swedish: app (sv) c, mobilapp (sv) c, mobilapplikation (sv) c
• Tajik: нармафзор (tg) (narmafzor), барнома (tg) (barnoma), замима (tg) (zamima)
• Thai: แอป (ɛ́p), แอปพลิเคชัน (ɛ́p-plì-kee-chân)
• Turkish: app (tr), mobil uygulama
• Ukrainian: застосу́нок m (zastosúnok), дода́ток m (dodátok), програ́ма f (prohráma)
• Uzbek: ilova (uz)
• Vietnamese: ứng dụng (vi)

Etymology 2

Shortening of appetizer.

Noun

app (plural apps)

1. (informal) appetizer
   • 2007, Evelyn Spence, Explorer's Guide Colorado's Classic Mountain Towns:

     The food is some of Breck's best: apps like sweet potato gnocchi with smoked chicken and sage cream […]

   • 2009, Robin Asbell, New Vegetarian:

     If you lay out a platter of these exciting, beautiful vegetarian appetizers, the other apps will pale in comparison.

   • 2010, Bill Allen, Grillin', Chillin', and Swillin', page 1:

     This is not to say that we only serve apps at dinner parties. Quite the contrary; but for smaller gatherings, good appetizers can distinguish you as a host who puts more thought and effort into his or her party menu. Better yet, most apps are relatively easy to make […]

Etymology 3

Shortening of appearance.

Noun

app (plural apps)

1. (sports) An appearance in a game.

   That player has had ten apps this season.

See also

• Appendix:American Dialect Society words of the year

Anagrams

• pap, PPA, Pap, PAP

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from English app.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈap]

Noun

app f (plural apps)

1. app

   Synonyms: aplicació mòbil, apli

Further reading

• “app” in termcat, Centre de Terminologia, 2025.

Danish

Etymology

From English app, shortened from application.

Noun

app c (singular definite appen, plural indefinite apper or apps)

1. (computing) app

Declension

Declension of app

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	app	appen	apper apps	appsene apperne appene
genitive	apps	appens	appers apps'	appsenes appernes appenes

Synonyms

• applikation
• mobilapp

Derived terms

• appudvikler
• mobilapp

References

• “app” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

From English app. The senses pertaining to text messaging are influenced by the app name WhatsApp.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛp/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: app
• Rhymes: -ɛp
• Homophone: eb

Noun

app f or m (plural apps, diminutive appje n)

1. an app

   Wat voor apps heb jij erop staan?

   What apps have you got on your phone?

2. (Netherlands, typically in the diminutive) a text message sent using an app

   Stuur alsjeblieft even een appje zodra je veilig thuis bent.

   Please send a text as soon as you're home safe.

3. (Netherlands) a chat on a text messaging app, particularly a group chat

   Ze ruzieden in de app van het studentenhuis.

   They had a fight in the student accommodation chat.

Derived terms

• appen
• appgroep
• buurtapp
• familieapp
• groepsapp

Faroese

Etymology

From English app, from application, from Latin applicātiō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aʰpː/

  Rhymes: -aʰpː

Noun

app f (genitive singular appar, plural appir)

1. (computing) app (for a mobile device)

Declension

f2	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	app	appin	appir	appirnar
accusative	app	appina	appir	appirnar
dative	app	appini	appum	appunum
genitive	appar	apparinnar	appa	appanna

French

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

app m (plural apps)

1. Only used in bon app (“bon appétit”)

Hungarian

Etymology

Clipping of applikáció (“application”), from English application.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɒpː]
• Hyphenation: app
• Rhymes: -ɒpː

Noun

app (plural appok)

1. (computing) app, application

   Synonyms: alkalmazás, applikáció

Declension

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	app	appok
accusative	appot	appokat
dative	appnak	appoknak
instrumental	appal	appokkal
causal-final	appért	appokért
translative	appá	appokká
terminative	appig	appokig
essive-formal	appként	appokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	appban	appokban
superessive	appon	appokon
adessive	appnál	appoknál
illative	appba	appokba
sublative	appra	appokra
allative	apphoz	appokhoz
elative	appból	appokból
delative	appról	appokról
ablative	apptól	appoktól
non-attributive possessive – singular	appé	appoké
non-attributive possessive – plural	appéi	appokéi

Possessive forms of app

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	appom	appjaim
2nd person sing.	appod	appjaid
3rd person sing.	appja	appjai
1st person plural	appunk	appjaink
2nd person plural	appotok	appjaitok
3rd person plural	appjuk	appjaik

Icelandic

Etymology

Borrowed from English app, from application, from Latin applicātiō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ahp/

  Rhymes: -ahp

Noun

app n (genitive singular apps, nominative plural öpp)

1. (computing) app (for a mobile device)

   Synonym: smáforrit

Declension

Declension of app (neuter)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	app	appið	öpp	öppin
accusative	app	appið	öpp	öppin
dative	appi	appinu	öppum	öppunum
genitive	apps	appsins	appa	appanna

Further reading

• “app” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English app.

Noun

app f (invariable)

1. app

Ludian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *appi.

Noun

app

1. father-in-law

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English app.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.pi/, (initialism) /ˌaˌpeˈpe/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.pi/, (initialism) /ˌaˌpeˈpe/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.pe/, (initialism) /ˌaˌpeˈpe/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.pɨ/, /ˈa.pɨ/, (initialism) /ˌaˌpeˈpe/

Noun

app (Portugal) f or (Brazil) m (plural apps)

1. (computing) app (small computer application)

   Synonyms: aplicação, (Brazil) aplicativo

   • 2014, Peter Thiel, translated by Miguel Bôto, Zero to One, →ISBN, unnumbered page; republished as De Zero a Um, Leya, 2015:

     A realização de pequenas melhorias relativamente a algo que já existe poderá levá-lo a um máximo local, mas não o irá ajudar a alcançar o máximo global. Poderá desenvolver a melhor versão de uma app para encomendar papel higiénico através do iPhone, […]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Further reading

• “app”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English app (with gender by association with aplicación f).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈap/ [ˈap]
  • Rhymes: -ap
• IPA^(key): /ˈapepe/ [ˈa.pe.pe]
  • Rhymes: -apepe

Noun

app m or f (plural apps)

1. (computing) app

   Synonym: aplicación

   • 2019 December 16, “Una app de citas descartará posibles parejas por su ADN”, in El País‎^[1]:

     Con la app de George Church, sus padres no se habrían conocido, porque habrían sido declarados incompatibles.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

• According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.
• Before feminine nouns beginning with stressed /ˈa/ like app, the singular definite article takes the form of el (otherwise reserved for masculine nouns) instead of the usual la: el app. This includes the contracted forms al and del (instead of a la and de la, respectively): al app, del app.

This also applies to the indefinite article, which takes the form of un, which is otherwise used with masculine nouns (although the standard feminine form una also occurs): un app or una app. The same is true with determiners algún/alguna and ningún/ninguna, as well as for numerals ending with 1 (e.g., veintiún/veintiuna).

However, if another word intervenes between the article and the noun, the usual feminine singular articles and determiners (la, una etc.) are used: la mejor app, una buena app.

• In these cases, el and un are not masculine but feminine, deriving from Latin illa and una, respectively, even though they are identical in form to the corresponding masculine singular articles. Thus, they are allomorphs of the feminine singular articles la and una.
• The use of these allomorphs does not change the gender agreement of the adjectives modifying the feminine noun: el app única, un(a) app buena.
• In the plural, the usual feminine plural articles and determiners (las, unas, etc.) are always used.

• In practice, this rule is often not followed and the form la app is widely used.

Further reading

• Manuel Seco, Olimpia Andrés, Gabino Ramos (2023 August 3) “app”, in Diccionario del español actual [Dictionary of Current Spanish] (in Spanish), third digital edition, Fundación BBVA [BBVA Foundation]

Swedish

Noun

app c

1. (computing) an app (especially on mobile phones and the like, like in English)

   Synonym: applikation

Declension

Declension of app

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	app	apps
	definite	appen	appens
plural	indefinite	appar	appars
	definite	apparna	apparnas

Derived terms

• mobilapp

Interjection

app

1. Expresses reproach; "Hey, don't do that!"

   App app app – den där får du inte äta. Den är till festen imorgon.

   App app app – you can't eat that one. It's for the party tomorrow.

Usage notes

Usually repeated.

References

• app in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• app in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)