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View synonyms for

apple

[ ap-uhl ]

noun

  1. the usually round, red or yellow, edible fruit of a small tree, Malus sylvestris, of the rose family.
  2. the tree, cultivated in most temperate regions.
  3. the fruit of any of certain other species of tree of the same genus.
  4. any of these trees.
  5. any of various other similar fruits, or fruitlike products or plants, as the custard apple, love apple, May apple, or oak apple.
  6. Informal. anything resembling an apple in size and shape, as a ball, especially a baseball.
  7. Bowling. an ineffectively bowled ball.
  8. Slang. a red capsule containing a barbiturate, especially secobarbital.


apple

/ ˈæə /

noun

  1. a rosaceous tree, Malus sieversii , native to Central Asia but widely cultivated in temperate regions in many varieties, having pink or white fragrant flowers and firm rounded edible fruits See also crab apple
  2. the fruit of this tree, having red, yellow, or green skin and crisp whitish flesh
  3. the wood of this tree
  4. any of several unrelated trees that have fruits similar to the apple, such as the custard apple, sugar apple, and May apple See also love apple oak apple thorn apple
  5. apple of one's eye
    a person or thing that is very precious or much loved
  6. bad apple or rotten apple
    a person with a corrupting influence
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of apple1

First recorded before 900; Middle English appel, Old English æ; cognate with Old Frisian, Dutch appel, Old Saxon apl, appul, Old High German apful ( German Apfel ), Crimean Gothic apel, from unattested Germanic aplu (akin to Old Norse epli, from unattested apljan ); Old Irish ubull (neuter), Welsh afal, Breton aval, from unrecorded pre-Celtic ǫ; Lithuanian óbuolas, -ỹs, Latvian âܴDZ() (with reshaped suffix), Old Prussian woble, perhaps Thracian (din)upla, (sin)upyla “wild pumpkin,” Old Church Slavonic ()ŭ (representing unrecorded ŭ-, neuter), from unattested Balto-Slavic -. Avalon
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Word History and Origins

Origin of apple1

Old English æ; related to Old Saxon appel, Old Norse apall, Old High German apful
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Idioms and Phrases

  • polish the apple
  • rotten apple
  • upset the applecart
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

All organisations have bad apples, but the power dynamics in a media company are multi-layered.

From

It is not yet clear how hard South Africa, which exports various fruits, including apples and grapes, to Tanzania, will be hit by the ban.

From

South African exports to Tanzania of various fruits, including apples and grapes, will be hit.

From

Not to mention Trump’s efforts to destroy lots of “mom and apple pie” things like the Department of Education, the Post Office, Social Security, Medicaid, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Constitution.

From

“It can’t be just a movie that somebody decides to divide into parts and and get another bite at the apple, if you will,” Nutt said.

From

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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