What does app mean?
An app — short for "application" — is a piece of software designed to carry out a particular task or set of tasks on a computing device. Although the term technically covers any application program, including desktop and web-based software, today it most strongly connotes the compact, touch-friendly programs installed on smartphones and tablets from app stores such as Apple's App Store or Google Play. Apps range from simple utilities like calculators and flashlights to complex platforms for banking, gaming, messaging, and navigation. The word is informal to neutral in tone and has become so deeply embedded in everyday language that few speakers think of it as an abbreviation at all. Its rise mirrors the mobile computing revolution of the late 2000s and 2010s, when dedicated applications largely replaced the general-purpose mobile web browser as the primary way people interact with digital services. For anyone discussing modern technology, "app" is among the most essential and instantly recognizable terms in contemporary English.
nounAn app (short for "application") is a software program designed to perform a specific function or set of functions, especially one designed for use on a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet.
- A self-contained software program, especially one designed for a mobile device or smartphone.
- More broadly, any application program running on a computer system (e.g. web apps, desktop apps).
"She downloaded a new fitness app to help track her daily workouts."
"I use a meditation app every morning to start my day with ten minutes of calm."
"The company built a custom internal app so employees could log expenses from their phones."
Standard plural; used freely in both casual and professional contexts.
"My phone has far too many apps cluttering the home screen."
The word "app" existed long before smartphones — Apple tried to trademark it in 2008, but it had been used in tech circles since the early days of personal computing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of app
The word "app" derives from "application," itself rooted in the Latin verb "applicare" ("to attach" or "to apply"), via Old French "aplicacion." In computing, "application" came to mean a program that applies the computer's capabilities to a specific user task, as distinct from system software. The abbreviated form "app" emerged within computing communities during the late twentieth century and became a household word after Apple's launch of the App Store in 2008 popularized mobile applications worldwide. It shares this ultimate Latin root with words such as "apply," "appliance," and "applicable."
Related word forms
How app is actually used
Informal to neutral in register; universally understood in modern usage. Originally an abbreviation of "application," it is now a fully established word in its own right rather than merely a shortened form.
Easily confused with app
"App" is a software application, while "apt" means suitable or appropriate.