apply

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English aplien, applien, from Old French applier, (French appliquer), from Latin applicō (“join, fix, or attach to”); from ad + plicō (“fold, twist together”). See applicant, ply.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈplaɪ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪ
• Hyphenation: ap‧ply

Verb

apply (third-person singular simple present applies, present participle applying, simple past and past participle applied)

1. (transitive) To lay or place; to put (one thing to another)

   to apply cream to a rash

   • 1697, John Dryden, Translation of Virgil's Aeneid:

     He said, and to the sword his throat applied.

2. (transitive) To put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case

   Synonyms: appropriate, devote, use

   to apply funds to the repayment of a debt

3. (transitive) To make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relative

   We need to apply the skills we’ve learned to solve this problem.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     Yet God at last To Satan, first in sin, his doom applied.

4. (transitive) To put closely; to join; to engage and employ diligently, or with attention

   Synonyms: attach, incline

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 23:12:

     Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

5. (reflexive) To work diligently and attentively.
6. (transitive) To address; to refer; generally used reflexively.
   • 1725, Homer, “Book X”, in [Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume III, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC:

     sacred vows […] applied to grisly Pluto

   • 1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “Economy”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC:

     On applying to the assessors, I am surprised to learn that they cannot at once name a dozen in the town who own their farms free and clear.

7. (intransitive) To submit oneself as a candidate (with the adposition "to" designating the recipient of the submission, and the adposition "for" designating the position).

   I recently applied to the tavern for a job as a bartender.

   Most of the colleges she applied to were ones she thought she had a good chance of getting into.

   Many of them don't know it, but almost a third of the inmates are eligible to apply for parole or work-release programs.

   • 1974 August 7, Ronald A. Frank, “SP Seeks Approval for Coast-to-Coast Digital Net”, in Computerworld, page 15:

     Southern Pacific Communications Co. (SP) has applied to the FCC for approval of the first coast-to-coast digital data transmission service.

8. (intransitive) To pertain or be relevant to a specified individual or group.

   That rule only applies to foreigners.

9. (obsolete) To busy; to keep at work; to ply.
   • a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC:

     She was no less skillful in applying his humours.

10. (obsolete) To visit.
    • [1611?], Homer, “(please specify |book=I to XXIV)”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., The Iliads of Homer Prince of Poets. […], London: […] Nathaniell Butter, →OCLC; republished as The Iliads of Homer, Prince of Poets, […], new edition, volume (please specify the book number), London: Charles Knight and Co., […], 1843, →OCLC:

      His armour was so clear,
      And he applied each place so fast, that like a lightning thrown
      Out of the shield of Jupiter, in every eye he shone.

      The spelling has been modernized.

Derived terms

• appliable
• appliance
• applicable
• applicant
• applicate
• application
• applicatory
• applier
• appliment
• applyingly
• apply oneself
• coapply
• deapply
• disapply
• misappliance
• misapply
• nonapplying
• overapply
• preapply
• reapply
• unapply
• underapply

 

Descendants

• → Cebuano: aplay

Translations

to lay or place

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Cherokee: ᎢᎬᎾᏙᏗ (igvnadodi)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: aanbrengen (nl), aanleggen (nl)
• Esperanto: apliki (eo), alfiksi (fasten, stick on)
• Finnish: levittää (fi) (cream etc.); panna (fi), asettaa (fi), laittaa (fi)
• French: appliquer (fr)
• German: auftragen (de), auflegen (de)
• Ido: aplikar (io)
• Irish: cuir suas
• Korean: 대다 (ko) (daeda)
• Latin: applicō
• Maori: pani (of medicine, ointments etc.)
• Portuguese: aplicar (pt)
• Russian: прилага́ть (ru) impf (prilagátʹ), прикла́дывать (ru) impf (prikládyvatʹ), приложи́ть (ru) pf (priložítʹ)
• Spanish: aplicar (es)
• Swedish: applicera (sv), anbringa (sv)
• Venetan: métar

to put to use for a purpose — see also use,‎ employ

• Arabic: طَبَّقَ (ar) (ṭabbaqa)
• Armenian: կիրառել (hy) (kiraṙel)
• Bulgarian: употребявам (bg) (upotrebjavam), прилагам (bg) (prilagam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 應用／应用 (zh) (yìngyòng), 用 (zh) (yòng)

• Dutch: toepassen (nl)
• Esperanto: apliki (eo)
• Finnish: käyttää (fi), soveltaa (fi)
• French: appliquer (fr)
• German: anwenden (de), verwenden (de), benutzen (de)
• Hungarian: alkalmaz (hu)
• Ido: aplikar (io)
• Irish: cuir i bhfeidhm
• Italian: applicare (it)
• Japanese: 用いる (ja) (もちいる, mochiiru)
• Korean: 쓰다 (ko) (sseuda)
• Ladin: aplicher
• Latin: applico
• Macedonian: иско́ристи (iskóristi), при́мени (prímeni), спро́веде (spróvede), упо́треби (upótrebi)
• Maore Comorian: utria ndziani
• Ngazidja Comorian: utria ndziani
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: anvende (no)

• Persian: بکار بردن (be kaar bordan), درخواست دادن (darxâst dâdan)
• Polish: zastosować (pl)
• Portuguese: aplicar (pt)
• Russian: испо́льзовать (ru) impf or pf (ispólʹzovatʹ), применя́ть (ru) impf (primenjátʹ), примени́ть (ru) pf (primenítʹ), употребля́ть (ru) impf (upotrebljátʹ), употреби́ть (ru) pf (upotrebítʹ)
• Spanish: utilizar (es), emplear (es), aplicar (es)
• Swedish: tillämpa (sv)
• Ukrainian: застосо́вувати impf (zastosóvuvaty), застосува́ти pf (zastosuváty), використо́вувати (uk) impf (vykorystóvuvaty), ви́користати pf (výkorystaty), вжива́ти (uk) impf (vžyváty), вжи́ти pf (vžýty), ужива́ти (uk) impf (užyváty), ужи́ти pf (užýty)
• Vietnamese: áp dụng (vi)

to make use of

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Esperanto: apliki (eo)
• Finnish: soveltaa (fi), käyttää (fi)
• German: anwenden (de)
• Korean: 적용하다 (ko) (jeogyonghada)
• Macedonian: при́мени (prímeni)
• Maori: whakamahi, whakahāngai
• Portuguese: aplicar (pt)
• Russian: применя́ться (ru) impf (primenjátʹsja)
• Swedish: tillämpa (sv)
• Vietnamese: áp dụng (vi), ứng dụng (vi)

to work hard and diligently

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: zich toeleggen op (nl)
• Esperanto: diligenti
• Finnish: herkistää, altistaa (fi), käyttää (fi)
• German: sich anstrengen (de)
• Korean: 쏟다 (ko) (ssotda), 기울이다 (ko) (giurida)
• Maori: ngaki (mi)
• Portuguese: aplicar-se
• Russian: стара́ться (ru) impf (starátʹsja)
• Spanish: (pronominal) aplicarse (es)

to betake, address

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: uskoutua (fi), kääntyä jonkun puoleen
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: dirigirse a

to submit oneself as a candidate

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: кандидатствам (kandidatstvam)
• Cebuano: aplay
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 申請／申请 (san¹ cing²)

  Mandarin: 申請／申请 (zh) (shēnqǐng)

• Czech: přihlásit (cs)
• Dutch: solliciteren (nl) (for a job), aanvragen (nl) (request)
• Esperanto: kandidatigi, peti (eo) (to a recipient), sin proponi por (for a position)
• Finnish: hakea (fi)
• French: s’inscrire (fr), postuler (fr)
• German: sich bewerben (de) (um etwas)
• Hungarian: jelentkezik (hu)
• Italian: candidarsi, fare domanda
• Japanese: 申し込む (ja) (もうしこむ, mōshikomu)
• Korean: 신청하다 (ko) (sincheonghada), 지원하다 (ko) (jiwonhada)
• Maori: tono
• Norwegian: søke (no)
• Polish: zgłosić się (pl)
• Portuguese: candidatar-se
• Russian: обраща́ться (ru) impf (obraščátʹsja), заявля́ть (ru) impf (zajavljátʹ), подава́ть зая́вку impf (podavátʹ zajávku), подава́ть заявле́ние impf (podavátʹ zajavlénije)
• Spanish: presentarse para (es), optar a (es), postularse (es), postular (es), solicitar (es), aplicar (es) (United States)
• Swedish: söka (sv), ansöka (sv)
• Ukrainian: звертатись (zvertatysʹ)
• Vietnamese: ứng cử (vi)

to be relevant to a specified individual

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Czech: platit (cs)
• Danish: gælde (da)
• Dutch: gelden (nl)
• Esperanto: rilati
• Finnish: koskea (fi), soveltua (fi)
• German: gelten (de), zutreffen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: ὑπολαμβάνω (hupolambánō) (+accusative +εἰς +accusative)

• Korean: 적용되다 (ko) (jeogyongdoeda)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gjelde (no)

  Nynorsk: gjelde

• Portuguese: aplicar-se
• Russian: применя́ться (ru) impf (primenjátʹsja), быть примени́мым (bytʹ primenímym), подходи́ть (ru) impf (podxodítʹ)
• Spanish: aplicarse (es), valer (es), convenir (es), cuadrar (es), aplicar (es) (United States)
• Swedish: gälla (sv)
• Ukrainian: стосува́тися (uk) impf (stosuvátysja)

Etymology 2

From apple +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæp(ə)li/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

apply (comparative more apply, superlative most apply)

2. Alternative spelling of appley

References

• “apply”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• lappy