Definition of 'apple'

Word Frequency

apple

(æpəl )

Word forms: plural apples

1. variable noun

An apple is a round fruit with smooth green, yellow, or red skin and firm white flesh.

I want an apple.

...2kg cooking apples.

...his ongoing search for the finest varieties of apple.

...a large garden with apple trees in it.

2. See also Adam's apple, Big Apple, crab apple

See the apple of your eye

Image of
apple

Video: pronunciation of
apple

apple in British English

(ˈæpəl )

noun

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

apple in American English

(ˈæpəl )

noun

a round, firm, fleshy, edible fruit with a green, yellow, or red skin and small seeds

any of the trees (genus Malus) of the rose family bearing this fruit, widely distributed in temperate regions

any of various plants bearing applelike fruits, or growths, as the May apple, love apple, etc.

Idioms:

the Apple

Word origin

ME appel < OE æppel, fruit, apple (also, eyeball, anything round); akin to OIr aball (Welsh afall), apple tree

Word Frequency

apple in American English

(ˈæpəl)

noun

the usually round, red or greenish-yellow, edible fruit of a small tree, Malus sylvestris, of the rose family

the tree, cultivated in most temperate regions

the fruit of any of certain other species of tree of the same genus

any of these trees

any of various other similar fruits, or fruitlike products or plants, as the custard apple, love apple, May apple, or oak apple

anything resembling an apple in size and shape, as a ball, esp. a baseball

7. Tenpin Bowling

an ineffectively bowled ball

8. slang

a red capsule containing a barbiturate, esp. secobarbital

Word origin

[bef. 900; ME appel, OE æppel; c. OFris, D appel, OS apl, appul, OHG apful (G Apfel), Crimean Goth apel ‹ Gmc *aplu (akin to ON epli ‹ *apljan); OIr ubull (neut.), Welsh afal, Breton aval ‹ pre-Celtic *ǫblu; Lith óbuolas, -ỹs, Latvian âbuol(i)s (with reshaped suffix), OPruss woble, perh. Thracian (din)upla, (sin)upyla wild pumpkin, OCS (j)ablŭko (repr. *ablŭ-ko, neut.) ‹ Balto-Slavic *āblu-. Cf. avalon]

Examples of 'apple' in a sentence
apple

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…

Pretty double doors open onto a garden with an apple tree.The favourite dish with all ages was apple pie.These bad apples can thrive in a bad barrel. Light and fresh with hints of moreish green apple and pale peppers.He has been offering his MPs signed apples from his garden instead.The twists The apple pie is a superb vehicle for other seasonal ingredients.The central question is, bad apples or bad barrels? Think green apples and elderflower. An apple tree, in London.To finish use a natural pink on the apple of the cheeks to soften the look.

Word lists with
apple

sauce, tree, wood

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1

Score: 0 / 5

Which tree am I?

a small widely cultivated rosaceous tree, Prunus amygdalus, that is native to W Asia and has pink flowers and a green fruit containing an edible nutlike seed

almond apricot plum

Which tree am I?

any of various Australian acacias

eumung stinging tree wattle

Which tree am I?

a coniferous evergreen tree of New Zealand, Podocarpus spicatus, having a bluish bark and small linear leaves arranged in two rows: timber used for flooring and weatherboards

black pine Scots pine spruce

Which tree am I?

a species of eucalyptus, Eucalyptus calophylla, of Western Australia, widely cultivated for its coloured flowers

eucalyptus jacaranda marri

Which tree am I?

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

almond apple peach

Your score: