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/
- (US, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): [əˈplaɪ]
- (Standard Southern British) IPA^(key): [əˈplɑj]
- (Canada) IPA^(key): [əˈplaɪ]
  - (dialectal) IPA^(key): [əˈpləj]
- (General Australian) IPA^(key): [əˈplɑɪ]
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)

(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.
(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
(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.
(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.
(reflexive) To work diligently and attentively.
(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.
(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.
(intransitive) To pertain or be relevant to a specified individual or group.
That rule only applies to foreigners.
(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.
(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

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)

Alternative spelling of appley

References

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

Anagrams

lappy