Meanings
apply1
verbapply (third-person singular simple present applies, present participle applying, simple past and past participle applied)
present singular third person applies · participle present applying · participle past applied · past applied
- transitiveTo lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
to apply cream to a rash
1 more example
He said, and to the sword his throat applied.
1697, John Dryden, Translation of Virgil's Aeneid - transitiveTo put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case
to apply funds to the repayment of a debt
Synonyms: appropriate, devote, use
- transitiveTo make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant.
We need to apply the skills we’ve learned to solve this problem.
2 more examples
Yet God at last To Satan, first in sin, his doom applied.
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, →OCLCHe's even founded a center based on his principles of applying opa to everyday life, dedicated to the practice of "The Opa! Way" and manifesting your inner Greekness, which he says you can have without being actually Greek.
2020 July 31, deTraci Regula, “Opa! The Greeks Have a Word for It All”, in ThoughtCo, archived from the original on 22 Feb 2024 - reflexiveTo work diligently and attentively.
My parents say I could do well in school if I would apply myself.
- reflexivetransitiveusuallyTo address oneself; to refer.
sacred vows […] applied to grisly Pluto
1725, Homer, “Book X”, in [Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume III, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC1 more example
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.
1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “Economy”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC - intransitiveTo submit oneself as a candidate (with the adposition "to" or "at" 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.
3 more examples
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.
Southern Pacific Communications Co. (SP) has applied to the FCC for approval of the first coast-to-coast digital data transmission service.
1974 August 7, Ronald A. Frank, “SP Seeks Approval for Coast-to-Coast Digital Net”, in Computerworld, page 15 - obsoleteTo busy; to keep at work; to ply.
She was no less skillful in applying his humours.
The New Arcadia
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 - obsoleteTo visit.
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.
[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
apply2
adjectiveapply (comparative more apply, superlative most apply)
comparative more apply · superlative most apply
- alternativeAlternative spelling of appley.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case
Similar
verbTo pertain or be relevant.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
verbput into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
apply · verb
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
- Proto-Italic*ad
- Proto-Italic*ad-
- Latinad-
- Proto-Indo-European*pel-
- Proto-Indo-European*pleḱ-
- Latinplicō
- Latinapplicō
- Old Frenchapplier
- Middle Englishaplien
- Englishapply
Inherited from Middle English aplien, borrowed from Old French applier, from Latin applicō, from ad- + plicō (“fold; arrive”). See applicant, ply.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →apply · adjective
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂ébōl
- Proto-Germanic*aplaz
- Proto-West Germanic*applu
- Old Englishæppel
- Middle Englishappel
- Englishapple
- Englishapply
Translations
Arabic وَضَعَ, طَبَّقَ
- وَضَعَ (waḍaʕa)to lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- طَبَّقَ (ṭabbaqa)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
Bulgarian употребявам, прилагам
- употребявам (upotrebjavam)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- прилагам (prilagam)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- кандидатствам (kandidatstvam)to submit oneself as a candidate
Chinese Cantonese 申請 /申请
- 申請 /申请 (san¹ cing²)to submit oneself as a candidate
Chinese Mandarin 應用 /应用, 用
- 應用 /应用 (yìngyòng)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- 用 (yòng)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- 申請 /申请 (shēnqǐng)to submit oneself as a candidate
Czech přihlásit, platit
- přihlásitto submit oneself as a candidate
- platitto be relevant to a specified individual
Danish anvende, benytte
- anvendeto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- benytteto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- brugeto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- gældeto be relevant to a specified individual
Dutch aanbrengen, aanleggen
- aanbrengento lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- aanleggento lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- toepassento put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- zich toeleggen opto work diligently and attentively
- solliciterento submit oneself as a candidate
- aanvragento submit oneself as a candidate
- geldento be relevant to a specified individual
Esperanto apliki, alfiksi
- aplikito lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- alfiksito lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- aplikito put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- aplikito make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant
- diligentito work diligently and attentively
- kandidatigito submit oneself as a candidate
- petito submit oneself as a candidate
- sin proponi porto submit oneself as a candidate
- rilatito be relevant to a specified individual
Finnish levittää, panna
- levittääto lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- pannato lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- asettaato lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- laittaato lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- käyttääto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- soveltaato put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- soveltaato make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant
- käyttääto make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant
- herkistääto work diligently and attentively
- altistaato work diligently and attentively
- käyttääto work diligently and attentively
- uskoutuato address oneself, refer
French appliquer, appliquer
- appliquerto lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- appliquerto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- s'inscrireto submit oneself as a candidate
- postulerto submit oneself as a candidate
- appliquerto be relevant to a specified individual
- valoirto be relevant to a specified individual
German auftragen, auflegen
- auftragento lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- auflegento lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- anwendento put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- verwendento put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- benutzento put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- anwendento make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant
- sich anstrengento work diligently and attentively
- sich bewerben (um etwas)to submit oneself as a candidate
- geltento be relevant to a specified individual
- zutreffento be relevant to a specified individual
Hungarian felken, felhord
- felkento lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- felhordto lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- alkalmazto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- felhasználto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- használto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- hasznosítto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- alkalmazto make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant
- hasznosítto make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant
- igyekszikto work diligently and attentively
- fordulto address oneself, refer
- jelentkezikto submit oneself as a candidate
- pályázikto submit oneself as a candidate
Irish cuir suas, cuir i bhfeidhm
- cuir suasto lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- cuir i bhfeidhmto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
Italian applicare, candidarsi
- applicareto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- candidarsito submit oneself as a candidate
- fare domandato submit oneself as a candidate
Japanese 用いる, 申し込む
- 用いる (mochiiru)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- 申し込む (mōshikomu)to submit oneself as a candidate
Korean 대다, 쓰다
- 대다 (daeda)to lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- 쓰다 (sseuda)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- 적용하다 (jeogyonghada)to make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant
- 쏟다 (ssotda)to work diligently and attentively
- 기울이다 (giurida)to work diligently and attentively
- 적용하다 (jeogyonghada)to address oneself, refer
- 신청하다 (sincheonghada)to submit oneself as a candidate
- 지원하다 (jiwonhada)to submit oneself as a candidate
- 적용되다 (jeogyongdoeda)to be relevant to a specified individual
Latin applicō, applico
- applicōto lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- applicoto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
Māori pani, whakamahi
- panito lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- whakamahito make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant
- whakahāngaito make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant
- ngakito work diligently and attentively
- tonoto submit oneself as a candidate
Norwegian søke
- søketo submit oneself as a candidate
Norwegian Bokmål anvende, gjelde
- anvendeto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- gjeldeto be relevant to a specified individual
Persian بکار بردن, درخواست دادن
- بکار بردن (be kaar bordan)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- درخواست دادن (darxâst dâdan)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
Polish zastosowywać, zastosować
- zastosowywaćto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- zastosowaćto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- zgłosić sięto submit oneself as a candidate
- dotyczyćto be relevant to a specified individual
Portuguese aplicar, aplicar
- aplicarto lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- aplicarto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- aplicarto make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant
- aplicar-seto work diligently and attentively
- candidatar-seto submit oneself as a candidate
- aplicar-seto be relevant to a specified individual
Russian прилага́ть, прикла́дывать
- прилага́ть (prilagátʹ)to lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- прикла́дывать (prikládyvatʹ)to lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- приложи́ть (priložítʹ)to lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- испо́льзовать (ispólʹzovatʹ)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- применя́ть (primenjátʹ)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- примени́ть (primenítʹ)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- употребля́ть (upotrebljátʹ)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- употреби́ть (upotrebítʹ)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- применя́ться (primenjátʹsja)to make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant
- стара́ться (starátʹsja)to work diligently and attentively
- обраща́ться (obraščátʹsja)to submit oneself as a candidate
- заявля́ть (zajavljátʹ)to submit oneself as a candidate
Spanish aplicar, aplicar
- aplicarto lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- aplicarto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- aplicarseto work diligently and attentively
- dirigirseto address oneself, refer
- presentarse parato submit oneself as a candidate
- optar ato submit oneself as a candidate
- postularse parato submit oneself as a candidate
- solicitarto submit oneself as a candidate
- aplicar ato submit oneself as a candidate
- aplicarseto be relevant to a specified individual
- valerto be relevant to a specified individual
- convenirto be relevant to a specified individual
Swedish applicera, anbringa
- applicerato lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- anbringato lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- tillämpato put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- tillämpato make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant
- sökato submit oneself as a candidate
- ansökato submit oneself as a candidate
- gällato be relevant to a specified individual
Tamil இடு, பொருந்து
- இடு (iṭu)to lay or place; to put (one thing to another)
- பொருந்து (poruntu)to be relevant to a specified individual
Turkish başvurmak, geçerli olmak
- başvurmakto submit oneself as a candidate
- geçerli olmakto be relevant to a specified individual
Ukrainian застосо́вувати, застосува́ти
- застосо́вувати (zastosóvuvaty)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- застосува́ти (zastosuváty)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- використо́вувати (vykorystóvuvaty)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- ви́користати (výkorystaty)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- вжива́ти (vžyváty)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- вжи́ти (vžýty)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- ужива́ти (užyváty)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- ужи́ти (užýty)to put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- звертатись (zvertatysʹ)to submit oneself as a candidate
- стосува́тися (stosuvátysja)to be relevant to a specified individual
Vietnamese áp dụng, áp dụng
- áp dụngto put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case — see also use, employ, utilize
- áp dụngto make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant
- ứng dụngto make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relevant
- ứng cửto submit oneself as a candidate
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with apply
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
apply. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apply
MLA
“apply.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apply. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “apply,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apply.
Source: apply on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.