apply
VerbOpen English WordNet
Verb (10)applied, applies, applying
- put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose“use your head!”“we only use Spanish at home”“I can't use this tool”“Apply a magnetic field here”“This thinking was applied to many projects”“How do you utilize this tool?”“I apply this rule to get good results”“use the plastic bags to store the food”“He doesn't know how to use a computer”Synonyms: useutilizeutiliseemployMore general act, moveMore specific give, take, exert, share, enjoy, exploit, waste, put, fall back, strain +12 moreCauses hold, go forSimilar practice, use
- be pertinent or relevant or applicable“The same laws apply to you!”“This theory holds for all irrational numbers”“The same rules go for everyone”Synonyms: holdgo forMore general refer, pertainSimilar lend oneself
- ask (for something)“He applied for a leave of absence”“She applied for college”“apply for a job”More general request, ask forMore specific put in, submit
- coat, cover or smear a surface with“She applied paint to the back of the house”“Put on make-up!”Synonyms: put onMore general coverMore specific dab, slap on, daub, sponge on, putty, dress, gum, cold-cream, cream
- be applicable to; as to an analysis“This theory lends itself well to our new data”Synonyms: lend oneselfOpposite defyMore general match, fitSimilar hold, go for
- give or convey physically“She gave him First Aid”“I gave him a punch in the nose”Synonyms: giveMore general distribute, administerMore specific administer, treadSimilar give
- avail oneself to“apply a principle”“practice a religion”“use care when going down the stairs”“use your common sense”“practice non-violent resistance”Synonyms: practiceuse
- ensure observance of laws and rules“Apply the rules to everyone”Synonyms: enforceimplement
- refer (a word or name) to a person or thing“He applied this racial slur to me!”
- apply oneself to“Please apply yourself to your homework”
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Verb to put to use
- Spanish
- aplicar
- French
- appliquer
- German
- anwenden
- Italian
- applicare
- Portuguese
- aplicar
- Russian
- испо́льзовать ispólʹzovatʹ
- Arabic
- طَبَّقَ ṭabbaqa
- Chinese
- 应用 yìngyòng
- Dutch
- toepassen
- Polish
- zastosowywać
14 more languages
- Swedish
- tillämpa
- Indonesian
- menerapkan
- Vietnamese
- áp dụng
- Hungarian
- alkalmaz
- Portuguese (PT)
- aplicar
- Chinese (Trad.)
- 應用 yìngyòng
- Catalan
- aplicar
- Danish
- anvende
- Esperanto
- apliki
- Estonian
- kasutama
- Finnish
- käyttää
- Malagasy
- mampihatra
- Romanian
- aplica
- Serbo-Croatian
- aplicirati
Verb to submit oneself as a candidate
- Spanish
- solicitar
- French
- postuler
- Turkish
- başvurmak
- Russian
- обраща́ться obraščátʹsja
- Chinese
- 申请 shēnqǐng
- Japanese
- 申し込む mōshikomu
- Dutch
- solliciteren
- Swedish
- ansöka
- Korean
- 신청하다 sincheonghada
- Hungarian
- jelentkezik
Verb to be relevant to a specified individual
- French
- s'appliquer
- German
- zutreffen
- Dutch
- gelden
- Polish
- dotyczyć
- Swedish
- gälla
- Korean
- 적용되다 jeogyongdoeda
- Indonesian
- berlaku
- Hungarian
- vonatkozik
- Norwegian
- gjelde
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: OF. aplier, F. appliquer, fr. L. applicare to join, fix, or attach to; ad + plicare to fold, to twist together. See Applicant, Ply.
1. To lay or place; to put or adjust (one thing to another); — with to; as, to apply the hand to the breast; to apply medicaments to a diseased part of the body.
He said, and the sword his throat applied.— John Dryden
2. To put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case; to appropriate; to devote; as, to apply money to the payment of a debt.
3. To make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relative; as, to apply the testimony to the case; to apply an epithet to a person.
Yet God at last To Satan, first in sin, his doom applied.— John Milton
4. To fix closely; to engage and employ diligently, or with attention; to attach; to incline.
Apply thine heart unto instruction.— Prov. xxiii. 12.
5. To direct or address. rare
Sacred vows... applied to grisly Pluto.— Alexander Pope
6. To betake; to address; to refer; — used reflexively.
I applied myself to him for help.— Dr. Samuel Johnson
7. To busy; to keep at work; to ply. obsolete
She was skillful in applying his “humors.”— Sir Philip Sidney
8. To visit. obsolete
And he applied each place so fast.— George Chapman
Applied chemistry. See under Chemistry. — Applied mathematics. See under Mathematics.
1. To suit; to agree; to have some connection, agreement, or analogy; as, this argument applies well to the case.
2. To make request; to have recourse with a view to gain something; to make application. (to); to solicit; as, to apply to a friend for information.
3. To ply; to move. rare
I heard the sound of an oar applying swiftly through the water.— T. Moore.
4. To apply or address one's self; to give application; to attend closely (to).
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54